Three Points in a Line

On one front, Chen Xiao fought on the dark frontier.

Maine, an abandoned quarry. Three in the morning, the moon was completely hidden behind the clouds.

A blue portal unfolded, and Chen Xiao stepped through, his boots landing on gravel with a steady, muffled crunch. He wore a dark combat outfit: a sharply tailored black tactical jacket with tightened cuffs; a dark gray undershirt, matching tapered cargo pants tucked into high-top tactical boots. A dark bracer wrapped around his right wrist, with a small rune embedded on its inner side. His hair was tied back with a dark headband, a few loose strands hanging over his forehead and swaying slightly in the night wind.

Daniel stepped out of the portal behind him, holding a glowing compass with a serious expression. He wore formal sorcerer's robes, a stark contrast to Chen Xiao.

"You sure this is the place?" Chen Xiao asked.

"The energy fluctuations are coming from underground." Daniel lowered his eyes to the compass, whose light flickered faintly. "About thirty meters down. A Dark Dimension rift connected to the lord of hell. Medium scale."

Chen Xiao nodded. He closed his eyes and spread his Observation Haki. Invisible tendrils extended from his body, piercing through gravel, soil, and bedrock as they reached deep underground. He sensed the rift, like a torn wound slowly writhing in the darkness. There were signs of life around it—not human, but something contaminated by the Dark Dimension.

"Cultists." Chen Xiao opened his eyes, his voice lower than before. "More than a dozen. They're gathered around the rift, chanting something."

Daniel frowned. "Need backup?"

"No." Chen Xiao rolled his wrist. "I'll be right back."

He headed down the quarry slope. After taking a few steps, he stopped and looked back at Daniel with a pitiful expression.

"Oh, right. If I don't come back out, call for help."

Daniel remained expressionless. "You won't fail to come out."

Chen Xiao smiled, turned, and continued downward.

At the bottom of the quarry was a sunken clearing surrounded by rubble and abandoned mining equipment. The rotten stench in the air was stronger here, mixed with an indescribable cloying sweetness—like some kind of spice, or something burning. Chen Xiao went around a pile of rusty metal frames and saw the entrance. It was a downward-sloping cave, barely large enough for one person to squeeze through, with a dim crimson glow spilling from within.

He bent down and crawled inside.

The cave was much larger within than its entrance suggested. The rock walls curved irregularly, as though something had forced them open from inside. The rift lay at the deepest point of the cave, a vertical crack stretching from the ground to the ceiling. Its edges were dark red, like scorched skin. Crimson light shone through the crack, bathing the entire cave like a giant womb.

More than a dozen people knelt before the rift.

They wore dark red robes, their hoods hiding their faces. Some murmured something in low, synchronized voices, like an ancient incantation. Others lay prostrate on the ground, foreheads pressed against the dirt, their bodies trembling faintly. One stood at the very front, both hands raised as he muttered toward the rift.

When Chen Xiao entered, the chanting did not stop. They seemed either completely unaware of him or simply unconcerned.

Chen Xiao leaned against the rock wall, hands in his pockets, and watched for several seconds.

"Hey," he said.

The chanting stopped.

The man at the front froze. He slowly turned around, revealing a gaunt, pale face beneath his hood. His eyes were deeply sunken, like two black holes. He stared at Chen Xiao, his lips moving slightly.

"Who are you?"

"Just passing through," Chen Xiao said. "You guys having a team-building event?"

The man's face twisted. He spat out a string of incomprehensible spells, his hands forming some gesture in front of him. The rift's dark red light suddenly brightened, as if something had answered him. The other cultists turned as well, their eyes beneath their hoods fixing on Chen Xiao in unison.

Chen Xiao sighed.

"Let me tell you something," he said. "The Dark Dimension's power isn't that great. The idiot you worship has a pretty bad temper. And he's ugly, too."

The lead man's expression changed. He let out a roar and thrust both hands forward. A surge of dark red energy poured from his palms, lunging at Chen Xiao like a venomous snake.

Chen Xiao did not dodge. He raised his right hand and spread his fingers.

A blue arc of lightning exploded from his fingertips, striking the dark red energy with precision. The arc collided with the crimson light, producing a piercing sizzle like red-hot iron plunged into water. Under the impact of the lightning, the dark red energy shattered and dispersed like torn strips of cloth.

The man's eyes widened. "What kind of spell is that?"

"Pretty badass, right?" Chen Xiao said. "I made it myself."

He took a step forward.

Lightning exploded beneath his feet like a glowing serpent, spreading across the ground in all directions. Blue light burst through the cave, scattering the dark red glow. The cultists screamed and retreated. Some fell to the ground, while others clutched their heads. Chen Xiao walked to the rift and pressed both hands against either side of the crack.

Lightning poured from his palms into the depths of the rift. The dark red light flickered violently beneath the blue assault, like a dying heart making its last struggle. The edges of the crack began to contract, like burned skin healing over. The crimson light grew dimmer and weaker until, finally, it went out.

The rift disappeared. The rock wall returned to its normal gray, leaving only a few shallow cracks like ordinary seams in the stone. The cave's crimson light vanished completely, leaving only the blue arcs dancing at Chen Xiao's fingertips to illuminate the surroundings.

Chen Xiao withdrew his hands and brushed the dust from his sleeves. He turned to look at the cultists curled up in the corner.

"Satan doesn't want you," he said. "Go home. Get a job, farm your land, whatever. Stop doing this crap."

He checked with his Observation Haki. "Ohh, except you. I'll send you to meet Him."

Crackle!

With a flash of lightning, the cultist leader who had been crouching in the corner preparing to flee instantly turned into a pile of ash.

He walked out of the cave to find Daniel standing at the edge of the quarry, still holding the compass. Seeing Chen Xiao emerge, Daniel lowered his gaze to it. Its light had completely stabilized.

"All done?" Daniel asked.

"All done." Chen Xiao spread his hands and shrugged. "One idiot was nearly hollowed out by corruption. He was beyond saving, so I dealt with him. Where's the next one?"

Daniel flipped through his notebook. "Pennsylvania. An abandoned church. The report says there are Dark Dimension energy fluctuations. It could be a small rift, or a gathering of cultists."

"A church?" Chen Xiao raised a brow. "The cultists took over a church?"

"That's what the report says."

Daniel shook his head and swept his right hand through the air. A golden portal opened.

On the other side lay the Pennsylvania night, where the outline of a spired building could vaguely be seen.

"Let's go."

Chen Xiao stepped through, Daniel following behind him as the portal closed.

Pennsylvania, some abandoned little church.

Chen Xiao stood at the church entrance and looked up at its dilapidated spire. Moonlight spilled through gaps in the clouds onto the stained-glass windows, though more than half the glass had shattered, and the rest was so covered in dust that its colors were impossible to make out. The door stood ajar, with a faint dark red light spilling from inside.

"Praying again," Chen Xiao muttered. "Can't they be a little more creative?"

Daniel stood behind him, looking down at the compass. "The energy fluctuations are smaller than the one in Maine. But more stable."

Chen Xiao pushed open the door and walked inside.

The church was larger inside than it appeared from outside. The pews had been pushed to the sides, leaving an open space in the middle. A complex ritual array was drawn across it, crimson light shining through its patterns like glowing veins. Three people stood at the center of the array, dressed in dark red robes with hoods concealing their faces.

They heard the footsteps and turned around at the same time.

Chen Xiao looked at them, and they looked at Chen Xiao. The silence lasted three seconds.

"Good evening," Chen Xiao said.

The man in the middle pulled back his hood, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. He had deep dark circles under his eyes, cracked lips, and the haggard look of someone who had suffered from insomnia for a long time. There was no fear in his gaze, only calm, almost numb indifference.

"You're a sorcerer from Kamar-Taj," he said. It was not a question, but a statement.

"Yeah," Chen Xiao said. "I'm here to close the door."

The man's lips twitched as he tried to persuade him. "Do you know what the Dark Dimension can give us?"

"No," Chen Xiao said. "And I don't want to know."

"Eternal life," the man said. "Freedom beyond life and death. Power unconstrained by time."

Chen Xiao looked at him and fell silent for a second.

"None of the things you're talking about," Chen Xiao said, "even Dormammu has."

The man's expression froze.

"Dormammu is trapped in the Dark Dimension. He can't get out." Chen Xiao's tone was calm, as though he were explaining a math problem. "Everything he showed you was an illusion. Eternal life? Beyond life and death? He can't even do that himself. He can't even get through the door."

The ritual array's crimson light flickered, as if objecting.

"You're lying!" The man's face twisted with rage. "You don't understand Lord Dormammu's greatness at all!"

Chen Xiao took a step forward. Lightning exploded beneath his feet and spread across the floor to the edge of the ritual array. Blue and dark red light collided with a sizzling sound. The patterns of the array began to fracture, its crimson glow flickering like a candle about to go out.

The ritual array disappeared. Only a few shallow marks remained on the ground, as though something had scraped across it. The church's crimson light vanished completely, leaving only moonlight filtering through the broken windows onto the dust-covered floor—and three piles of ash.

"I'll send you to meet him," he said. "I'm kind like that."

He walked out of the church, where Daniel was waiting by the door.

"That fast?" Daniel asked.

"I dealt with them directly." Chen Xiao pulled out a cola from his pocket. "Those three were beyond saving. Their souls had already been marked. Where's the next one?"

Daniel glanced at the compass. "There isn't one. All three locations for today have been dealt with."

Chen Xiao let out a breath. "Fine. Let's go home."

He swept his right hand through the air, and a blue portal opened under the moonlight. On the other side was the living room of the New York Sanctum, warm yellow light spilling out while the fireplace still crackled.

Chen Xiao stepped through. Daniel followed behind him, and the portal closed.

Meanwhile, Tony was surrounded by three-points.

During the first week of Tony Stark's recovery, he still acted like a proper patient.

He lay on the sofa in his Malibu mansion, a large medicated patch stuck to his side, while the red mark on the bridge of his nose had yet to fade. When Pepper brought him a bowl of porridge, he obediently sat up and drank it. When Rhodey came to visit, he leaned against his pillow and bickered with Rhodey, though he sounded completely drained. When Chen Xiao stepped out of a portal and saw the sight, he even remarked, "The sun must have risen in the west."

By the second week, Tony had started getting impatient. He secretly removed the medicated patch, only for Pepper to discover it and stick it back on him. While Pepper was at the company, he had Happy bring him two burgers, only to be caught red-handed when Pepper returned. Pepper threw the burgers into the trash, and Tony stared at the bin as if gazing upon deceased family members.

By the third week, Tony thought he had recovered. He stood up, took two steps, and found that his side no longer hurt and the red mark on his nose had faded. He checked himself in the mirror, nodded in satisfaction, then picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Happy, arrange something for me. This weekend, a pool party."

"Mr. Stark, Miss Potts said—"

"Pepper's at the office. She won't know."

Happy was silent for a second. "...Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

So, when Pepper worked overtime at Stark Industries until nine that night and checked Tony's schedule, she found an entry she had not arranged. She picked up her phone and called Happy.

"Happy, what's this pool party Tony is having this weekend?"

There was silence on the other end for three seconds. "...Miss Potts, I suggest you ask Mr. Stark directly."

Pepper hung up, took a deep breath, then called Tony.

"Tony."

"Pepper!" Tony sounded cheerful, with music playing in the background. "You done with work?"

"You're having a pool party this weekend?"

"Uh... just relaxing. The doctor said I need to relax."

"Which doctor?"

"Me."

Pepper closed her eyes. "Tony, it's October. October in Los Angeles."

"So?"

"So the pool water is cold."

"It's heated."

Pepper took a deep breath. "Whatever you want."

She hung up.

Tony listened to the dial tone, looked at his phone, then looked at Happy, who was mixing cocktails beside him.

"She's mad?"

Happy looked at him expressionlessly. "What do you think?"

Tony thought about it. "Maybe a little."

The pool party went ahead as planned.

The October sun in Malibu was not too harsh, but the pool water had been heated to just the right temperature. A group of blonde beauties in skimpy three-point bikinis frolicked around the pool, the music thundered, and cocktail glasses sparkled in the sunlight. Tony lounged on a deck chair in sunglasses, holding a drink of uncertain origin, that signature roguish smile on his lips.

Rhodey stood nearby with his arms crossed, looking at the entire pool full of beautiful women and shaking his head.

"Tony, you just recovered from your injury."

"Which is why I need to relax." Tony took a sip of his drink.

"Does Pepper know?"

Tony's lips twitched slightly. "She's at the company."

Rhodey stared at him for two seconds. "She doesn't know."

Tony did not answer.

Rhodey sighed and pulled over a deck chair to sit down. "You're going to get yourself killed one day."

Tony smiled but said nothing.

In the distance, a blonde woman waved at Tony. Tony raised his glass in response.

Watching the scene, Rhodey suddenly remembered something. "By the way, where's Chen Xiao? Why didn't he come?"

Tony thought for a moment. "He said he was busy."

"Busy with what?"

"Didn't say."

At the company, Pepper Potts watched the video JARVIS had sent her.

Her gaze settled on the figure in the floral shirt beside the pool, her expression blank.

Another burst of laughter came from the pool. A girl climbed out of the water and shook her hair, splashing Tony all over. Tony laughed and cursed at her about something, and the girl giggled.

Pepper took a deep breath, closed the video, and opened her email.

The office was quiet, with only the clock on the wall ticking away. Pepper sat at her desk and opened one email after another: questions from the board, concerns from shareholders, inquiries from the military, requests for media interviews. Every single one needed a response, and every one needed handling.

After Obadiah was arrested, the company was leaderless. The board was a complete mess. Some wanted to seize power, some wanted to sell their shares and run, and some called her more than a dozen times a day to ask, "What exactly is Tony thinking?" The stock price was falling faster than a roller coaster, plunging from its peak with no way to stop it.

Tony refused to handle it.

He said he needed rest. He said he was recovering from his injuries. He said they could talk after he was better.

An hour later, she looked up, rubbed her eyes, picked up her phone, and texted Tony: "When are you going to act like a normal chairman and deal with the company's affairs??"

A few seconds later, her phone vibrated. Tony replied: "When have I ever been normal?"

Pepper stared at the screen for three seconds, then shut off her phone.