Whoosh!
The moment he arrived, Constantine pulled out a folding knife and swiftly cut the ropes binding Tony.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Tony dropped to his knees and gulped in air. He'd nearly been strangled to death!
"Breathe. Hi, what's your name? Thank you for saving me."
Panting, Tony looked at Constantine gratefully.
"The Hellblazer, John Constantine."
The cigarette between his fingers still burned, and Constantine smiled faintly.
"Now, let's talk about my fee."
"..." Tony.
Outside the computer.
Unable to hear what they were saying, the others could only wait anxiously.
Seeing Constantine save Tony, they smiled.
The two seemed to exchange a few words and reach some kind of agreement.
Pepper prayed silently that if Constantine could get Tony out, she'd give him a huge bonus.
"Deal!"
Just as expected of a big-shot businessman. He'd agreed to a million dollars without even blinking.
Constantine murmured happily to himself, then casually pulled a bottle of blood from his pocket.
He dipped a finger into the blood, crouched down, and rapidly drew an inverted pentagram on the floor.
The circle was bright red and covered in sinister symbols. As Constantine chanted and pressed his hand to the floor, black smoke surged from its center, rapidly billowing outward.
"Who's there? Who dares summon the great Lord Babas?!"
The demon roared as soon as he appeared. Before he could look around for a sacrifice, he saw the mage who'd summoned him grab a man and vanish in a flash without even saying goodbye.
What the hell? Where was the sacrifice they'd promised him?!
The demon stared blankly, still trying to figure out what was going on, when a knotted rope dropped straight down and slipped around his neck, hoisting him into the air.
What the hell? What was this thing now?
Fuck your granny!
"Damn it! What kind of vermin dares stand in the way of the great Lord Babas!"
The demon was furious. Not only had that mage failed to provide the promised sacrifice, he'd also left the demon hanging the moment he appeared!
Hellfire surged from his body, burning through the rope in an instant. Before he could even gloat, an old woman blinked into existence, and more ropes flew toward him.
"Fuck. Wraith, you're asking for it!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It was like two planets colliding: the demon and the wraith, Fusang Wife, clashed fiercely.
Outside the TV.
The air rippled, and Constantine emerged with Tony.
The moment Tony appeared, everyone hurried over.
Pepper: "Tony, are you hurt? Does anything hurt?"
Happy: "Tony, how are you? Does anything feel wrong?"
Coulson: "Mr. Stark, I'm so glad you made it out safely."
Natasha said nothing, but her eyes were full of concern.
Tony shook his head. Standing still, he closed his eyes and drew deep breaths of fresh air.
In that "room," he'd been certain he was going to die. Thank goodness someone had saved him.
Standing nearby, Constantine silently took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, looking toward the computer.
It all seemed as unreal as a special-effects movie. Coulson walked over, trying to suppress his surprise as he asked,
"Mr. Constantine, what was that you summoned just now?"
"A demon. A demon that exists in this world's Hell."
[Phil Coulson's emotional energy +433]
"This world really does have demons!"
That information was important. Coulson's heart jolted as he quickly realized that S.H.I.E.L.D. still didn't understand this world well enough. They needed more intelligence.
At the thought, Constantine became even more valuable in his eyes.
With the genial smile of a good-natured man, he pointed at the scene on the computer.
"Mr. Constantine, who do you think will win—the demon or that wraith?"
Flicking the ash from his cigarette, Constantine answered without hesitation, "I don't know."
Seeing Coulson's confusion, he added,
"To be honest, I don't know how strong that wraith is.
"That was the first time I'd summoned that demon, too. We'll only know who wins once they've fought!"
This...
Coulson's heart sank.
If even the expert couldn't say for sure, then they were nowhere near being able to rest easy.
His heart leapt into his throat as Constantine continued speaking.
"Based on my experience..."
Hmm?
Come on, say it! Why'd you stop?
[Phil Coulson's emotional energy +404]
Coulson didn't dare rush him, his smile frozen in place.
Natasha, along with Tony Stark and the others, who had recovered by now, were also keeping a close eye on them.
When Constantine paused, their hearts skipped a beat.
[Natasha Romanoff's emotional energy +437] [Tony Stark's emotional energy +461] [Happy Hogan's emotional energy +423] [Pepper Potts's emotional energy +436]
Constantine took a drag before continuing.
"They look evenly matched. Even if neither can destroy the other, they should have no trouble escaping."
"Ah, they can escape, too?"
Natasha's lips parted slightly as she asked.
"Of course. They're not mindless beasts."
Natasha looked a little embarrassed and was just about to change the subject.
Then—
Bang!!
The computer suddenly exploded.
Reeking of sulfur, the demon burst out of it in a swirl of black smoke and plunged straight into Happy.
There was no time to stop it. Tony watched in horror as he caught Happy and shouted,
"Happy, how are you? Answer me!"
Happy was ice-cold all over. He trembled, his eyes rolling back.
Seeing that he was about to die, Tony called desperately to Constantine.
"Constantine, please save Happy! I'll pay you a hundred thousand dollars once it's done!"
At once, Constantine went from looking lazy to rubbing his hands together eagerly.
He hurried over, murmuring an unfamiliar incantation. He told Tony to roll up Happy's shirt and expose his stomach, then slammed a palm against it.
Smack!
Happy's stomach bulged upward, then quickly fell back down.
A mass of black smoke rolled visibly inside him, and the demon's curses rang in their ears.
"You damned mage, you dare seal me?!
"Don't let me find out your name, or I swear I'll kill you!!"
Constantine curled his lip in disdain and cursed back.
"Shut up. You're just a demon. You think I'm scared of you?"
Seeing everyone look at him admiringly, he pointed at his own nose.
"I go by my real name, so remember it if you're looking for trouble—Phil Coulson!"
He spoke loudly and clearly, as if terrified the demon wouldn't hear his name. His voice echoed throughout the warehouse.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
"Phil Coulson, you wretched man! I, Lord Babas, will remember you!!"
Sorry, everyone. Yesterday, I was suddenly moved from Qidian's Seventh Group to the First Group, then got a private message from the editor and signed a contract.
It was... pretty sudden (￣△￣;).
My previous book still had a paper contract. It took four or five days of photocopying and mailing documents before the status changed. Now the contract's electronic, and not long after I signed, this book's status changed, too. (It really is convenient.)
It's just... how do I put this? It happened a little too fast!
I didn't even have time to leave a comment to let all you readers know (or invest in the book or anything), and I didn't even have time to invest in my own book o(╥﹏╥)o
Ah... this...
Before you continue