Whatever the Cost

Baron Strucker looked around the room before continuing:

"If turning to Lucifer can get us all this, why go looking elsewhere?"

Pierce frowned and asked:

"What about Gideon Malick's faction?"

After all, Gideon's faction had always been committed to doing everything possible to bring back the Hydra God.

Madame Viper's eyes instantly turned vicious as she said coldly:

"If they disagree, we can just join forces and eliminate them."

Pierce was still somewhat hesitant. At his age, power was no longer what he craved most.

What he feared most was death, and what he desired most was immortality.

After considering it, Pierce decided to first probe Lucifer further on the matter of immortality.

Yet he spoke with lofty righteousness:

"The idea is feasible, but whether they will accept us is another matter."

"I'll send someone to make contact first, feel them out, and see what their attitude is."

The others nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, far away, quite a few others had similar thoughts.

Inside Tony Stark's villa.

His secretary, Pepper Potts, hung up the phone with an angry expression and could not help cursing:

"Damn scammer!"

Ever since Tony had disappeared, she had been frantic with worry and had tried nearly every channel available to her.

She had not even given up hope on those obvious con artists.

Yet the results had been discouraging. No one had been able to find any trace of Tony.

Some investigative agencies with at least a little integrity knew they could not find Tony and would return part of the deposit.

But this con artist was even worse, taking the money and vanishing without a trace.

Just as Pepper was seething with rage, Tony's driver and bodyguard, Happy Hogan, hurried in.

Looking rushed, he switched on the television as soon as he entered and said anxiously:

"Miss Pepper, look at this."

The footage on the television showed Daisy effortlessly taking down the robbers in just a few moves, then gently flapping her white wings and slowly flying away.

The television footage clearly captured Daisy's every movement.

The despair on Pepper's face vanished, and her eyes suddenly lit up.

She stared at the screen and murmured:

"Another Angel? And she doesn't seem to fly as fast as the one yesterday!"

Naturally, both Pepper and Happy had seen yesterday's news of Lu Xi descending like a god.

At the time, they had considered asking that powerful "Angel" for help. After all, for a mythical being like that, finding someone should not have been difficult.

But Lu Xi had flown far too quickly, vanishing from everyone's sight like lightning.

Even an advanced artificial intelligence system like JARVIS had found it difficult to pinpoint his flight path in such a short time.

The female Angel appearing on television today possessed equally astonishing abilities.

But judging from her flight speed, she seemed much weaker than the one from yesterday.

To Pepper, however, that meant an opportunity.

It meant that JARVIS might be able to locate her, find that mysterious "Angel," and seek his help.

Pepper immediately turned around and spoke to the air:

"JARVIS, can you locate this female Angel?"

Almost instantly, JARVIS's rich, magnetic voice sounded from a nearby computer:

"Ms. Pepper, she has been successfully located. The address has been sent to your phone."

At JARVIS's affirmative reply, a flash of delight appeared in Pepper's eyes.

Without any hesitation, she grabbed the bag beside her and turned to Happy. "Let's go!"

At Lu Xi's villa, the sunlight was perfect.

Lu Xi lay comfortably on a lounge chair, leisurely basking in the sun.

On the lawn some distance away, Wanda and Pietro were intently practicing control over their abilities.

After witnessing Lu Xi display his overwhelming power yesterday and seeing Daisy gain her powers, their desire for strength had only grown stronger.

The siblings knew very well that whether they wanted revenge or simply wished to survive, they needed enough power.

Before long, a white figure flew swiftly through the sky. It was Daisy, returning excitedly.

After landing steadily, she chirped like a happy little bird, animatedly recounting her experience as a superhero.

Lu Xi listened with a faint smile and could not help teasing her:

"Looks like you're having quite a good time as a superhero."

Daisy nodded hard, her eyes sparkling.

"Lord Lucifer, it feels amazing! I feel like I can save the whole world!"

Lu Xi smiled and shook his head, reminding her:

"Don't get carried away. There are plenty of formidable people hiding on Earth."

"You wouldn't want to get captured someday and end up in some female Angel bondage play, would you?"

Daisy's face flushed slightly. She lightly smacked him.

"You're awful. What nonsense are you saying?"

Just then, Lu Xi's brow furrowed slightly as he suddenly sensed someone rapidly approaching the villa.

Immediately afterward, there came a knock at the door.

With a brief sense, he recognized the people outside as Pepper and Happy.

With a thought, he slowly opened the villa door using his mind.

Pepper and Happy entered the villa and immediately recognized Lu Xi as the immensely powerful Angel from yesterday's news.

Pepper hurried forward, her eyes full of hope, and said sincerely:

"Sir, we are from Stark Industries. Please forgive our presumptuous visit."

"We came to ask for your help in finding Tony Stark. Whatever the cost, Stark Industries can afford it!"

When Wanda heard they were seeking help for Tony, her expression changed slightly, and she instinctively wanted to stop them.

"If a weapons dealer like Stark gets into trouble, that's just his retribution!"

Lu Xi waved a hand and said softly to Wanda:

"Didn't I tell you? In a few months, you'll understand everything."

"Some things have their own course of development. We only need to wait and watch."

Compared to Wanda's reaction, Lu Xi felt a strange impulse toward Pepper.

It was not an impulse toward the opposite sex, but a profound craving that stemmed from the level of his "authority."

At that very moment, he instantly comprehended one of his powers—collecting souls.

And Pepper Potts before him was one of the souls he needed to collect.

Lu Xi's gaze settled on Pepper, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly spoke:

"I can bring Tony back, but you said you could pay any price. Are you sure?"

Pepper froze slightly, a sense of foreboding rising within her.

But when she thought of Tony, whose fate remained unknown, she gritted her teeth and said:

"Uh... most prices are fine. As long as Tony returns safely, I am willing to pay any reasonable price."

The corners of Lu Xi's lips rose slightly, revealing an inscrutable smile, before he laid down a shocking condition:

"What if I told you the price is signing a contract with me, and that after you die, your soul will belong to me?"

Pepper's face instantly turned pale at those terms.

No matter how she heard it, this deal did not sound right. It felt like something a devil would do.

Happy hurriedly tried to stop her as well:

"Pepper, this... this condition is too strange. Let's think of another way."

Seeing this, Lu Xi decided to add more fuel to the fire.