This Hospital Room Was Awkward as Hell

It was not until the 911 ambulance arrived and two nurses loaded Coulson onto a stretcher and wheeled him away that Tony and the others returned to their seats and curiously questioned Constantine.

"So that curse was actually that powerful?"

Constantine shrugged and took a sip of beer.

"It'll only bring bad luck. It's not fatal."

"Are you selling it? How much? Name your price."

Tony wore the expression of a nouveau riche coal boss.

Something that could affect a person's fortune truly had considerable research value.

Perhaps studying it might allow him to glimpse some of magic's mysteries.

But unfortunately—

"You don't have a chance.

After something like that happened, S.H.I.E.L.D. must have smashed it to pieces long ago. By now, even the ashes have probably been scattered!"

"Of course, any curse that has already taken effect will still take effect."

Tony looked thoroughly annoyed.

He had only just gotten interested, and this was the result!

"Just as I thought. I really can't bring myself to like those agents."

"Drink, drink."

After that, everyone continued drinking and eating.

New York City Central Hospital.

The doctor pushed the stretcher and transferred the bandaged Coulson into the ward.

Coulson's consciousness was still somewhat hazy. He vaguely sensed someone calling him from his left.

He opened his eyes and turned his head, only to see a dark face.

"What? Director Fury!"

Rubbing his eyes, he had thought he was hallucinating.

His face darkening, Director Fury shifted to the side, revealing his right leg wrapped in thick plaster, making movement difficult.

"How is it, Coulson? Did you see Constantine?"

"I did, Director Fury."

Enduring the pain, Coulson tried to raise his upper body.

Nick Fury stopped him, signaling that he could just speak as he was and need not stand on ceremony.

Coulson did not insist and continued speaking while lying in bed.

"Constantine said the curses on us won't disappear for another three days."

"Three days?" Nick Fury was just about to speak.

"What? Another three days?!"

The curtain to Nick Fury's left was suddenly pulled aside.

With both hands and feet in casts, his neck fixed in place as he lay in bed, and thick bandages wrapped around his head, Alexander Pierce's old face appeared, furious and exasperated.

Coulson and Fury turned to look at him at the same time.

...x3

The three stared at one another, and for a moment, the atmosphere in the room became unbearably awkward.

[Emotion Points from Phil Coulson +444]

[Emotion Points from Nick Fury +433]

[Emotion Points from Alexander Pierce +477]

[Emotion Points: 233480.93]

Two hundred thirty thousand Emotion Points—more than he had expected to gain.

"Sure enough. Going beyond the realm of human common sense can earn more Emotion Points!"

Inside the dimension.

Li Chao lay naked in a bubble-filled bathtub, leisurely soaking.

Splash.

He wiped his face and shooed the toy yellow duck floating on the water to one side.

Without any further nonsense—

"System, draw two Silver Treasure Chests."

On the panel, two gleaming silver treasure chests slowly appeared.

With a thought, a flash of white light burst forth.

Snap!

[B-Rank 1-Star Character Card: Emperor Shitian.

Abilities: Sacred Heart Art, Phoenix Blood, Sacred Heart Four Tribulations, Myriad Swords Return to Origin, Five Thunder Ultimate Transformation Hand, Dry Ice Palm

Introduction: A supreme martial arts expert from the Wind and Cloud world. Originally named Xu Fu, he had been ordered by the First Emperor of Qin to hunt down a phoenix and refine an immortality elixir. He later secretly consumed the elixir himself, fled in fear of punishment, and founded the Heavenly Gate Martial Arts Organization in secret. He was one of the masterminds behind the turmoil in the Central Plains martial world.]

[C-Rank Item Card: Bamboo Copter ×5.

Introduction: Magical technology from the Doraemon world. As long as it is worn on the head, one can fly freely through the sky like a bird.]

[B-Rank Item Card: Corpse.

Introduction: A bizarre corpse from the Mountain Village Teacher world. Dense resentment clung to it, gathered without dispersing. Filled with hatred for humanity, Chu Renmei would curse anyone who drank water, causing them to become lost in hallucinations and eventually kill themselves.]

[D-Rank 1-Star Character Card: L Lawliet.

Abilities: Super Memory, Super Analysis, Super Mental Calculation, Super Deduction

Introduction: The world's greatest detective from the Death Note world. As long as L remained "alive," a considerable number of people would be saved because of him; once he died, the world's crime rate would rise by dozens of percent. For a detective of L's caliber, protecting his life was equivalent to preserving world peace.]

[A-Rank Character Card Fragment ×1]

Splash!

Water sprayed everywhere as Li Chao excitedly rose from the bathtub.

"No way... did I actually draw him?!"

Li Chao did not even spare the B-Rank character Emperor Shitian a glance. The only one he cared about was L!

Although the system had only rated L as D-Rank 1-Star, that was because L had never been a combat-oriented character. He was the brains of the operation!

"It's just a stupid system! What the hell does it know about L?!"

System: (￢_￢)

Li Chao: (((;;)))

"Ahem. Hallucination, hallucination. I definitely never said that!"

After making that assurance, Li Chao did not even dry himself off. He grabbed L's card and slapped it into his body.

Snap.

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, his pupils trembling wildly beneath his eyelids.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

When he opened his eyes again, the world had already changed.

This was not some increase in strength, but a state of mind—a new way of seeing the world.

"Wonderful, simply wonderful... It feels like I'm gazing upon truth itself. The world is shedding its secrets before my eyes."

A vast body of knowledge gathered from different characters roamed freely through his mind.

Li Chao felt like a fish in the ocean, following in the footsteps of truth as he continued climbing ever higher!

The feeling was too wonderful, too intoxicating.

"Phew..."

Only after a long while did he let out a reluctant breath, as though an entire lifetime had passed.

He materialized a strawberry cake and tossed it into his mouth. His cheeks puffed up as he wiped himself down with a towel, all while reexamining his plans.

"My previous methods were far too crude!"

Thinking this, he summoned the Book of Ages Fragment, picked up a pen, and began writing and drawing on it.

New York, Chinatown.

As Luke Cage walked out of the Chinese Little Master Restaurant, he happily held a large paper bag in his arms.

The scent of food drifted from within. It was a surprise for his girlfriend.

Recently, someone had been recommending the food here to him every few days.

At first, he had not been interested.

Wasn't it just food? No matter how extravagantly they praised it, how good could it possibly be?

But when he came to check it out, he was surprised to find such a huge line!

Then, as he caught the fragrance wafting out from the restaurant, he did not know why, but he rubbed his stomach and found himself unable to move.

By the time he came back to his senses, he was somehow already seated inside, with a plate of—Crystal Peacock Dumplings set before him.

"That taste... damn, it was good!"

Luke Cage gave it a thumbs-up. Still not satisfied, he decided to let his girlfriend try it too, so he bought another two boxes of egg fried rice to take back for his new girlfriend.

Don't get the wrong idea. One of the boxes was his own dinner.

Policewoman Misty Knight stood on the street, her pretty brows furrowed and her face tense, giving off an air of anxiety.

"Hey."

Seeing Luke Cage emerge from the restaurant carrying a paper bag, Misty stepped forward and blocked his path.

After weighing her words, she slowly said, "Luke. I need your help!"