Clue!

After the two left, Zhang Yang tapped the table and fell into deep thought.

To put several thousand children scattered across different places into comas within a single day, one person definitely would not have been enough.

But Kaecilius had only taken that many people with him. Even if they split up, they could not have achieved such a result.

The only possibility was that someone had helped them.

Zhang Yang now had two targets.

First: S.H.I.E.L.D. With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s capabilities, it was entirely possible for them to put the same number of people, or even more, into comas.

Second: Hydra. As a massive organization hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D., it could, to some extent, completely replace S.H.I.E.L.D. in doing such things.

But there was one question now: whether it was S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra, why would they help Kaecilius?

"Looks like I'll have to investigate."

For the mission, Zhang Yang stood up, casually opened a Portal, and returned to his little shop.

It was not that he did not trust John Constantine and Lucifer. He simply planned to visit the hospital and see what method had put those children into comas.

Central City Hospital, Pediatric Department.

Invisible, Zhang Yang walked through the hospital. The wards here were already full, and even the extra beds had been occupied by comatose children.

He entered a ward, looked at a child lying unconscious, and lifted the child's eyelid.

Darkness.

A skull.

It was Dormammu's illusion!

Zhang Yang lowered the child's eyelid and sensed carefully, only to discover that the children's souls were already gone.

"Were they sucked away?"

Zhang Yang had read about such a situation in books. It was a method Dormammu often used. What Dormammu called granting eternal life was nothing more than absorbing believers' souls and merging them into Dormammu's own body.

Releasing his spiritual power, Zhang Yang discovered that every comatose child had already lost their soul. Only the most basic connection remained between soul and body.

As time passed, even that connection would grow weaker and weaker. In the end, those children would become bodiless souls. After Dormammu finished using them, they would be eaten as after-dinner desserts.

"Are there any beds left?!"

Just then, a commotion broke out outside. It seemed another patient had been brought in.

Zhang Yang pushed open the door and saw a comatose child lying on a stretcher.

Like the others, there was no soul inside the child's body.

However, a faint trace of dark magic still lingered on the child. Because not much time had passed, it had not yet faded.

"So it really was Kaecilius?"

Zhang Yang had found it strange from the start. Kaecilius was such a proud man, yet after issuing a challenge, he had actually hidden away where no one could find him?

Now it seemed he had been doing quite a lot in secret. At the very least, he had likely connected with some global organization.

With that organization's help, Kaecilius and his Zealot cult had hidden so well that no one in the entire magical world could find them.

Now that he had discovered this, Zhang Yang was confident he could follow the trail and drag Kaecilius out from the shadows.

For now, all he had to do was wait.

He had already released all his spiritual power to monitor all of New York.

He only needed to wait for Kaecilius and the others to act again...

Hydra Secret Base.

In the same conference room, John Garrett, who had obtained dark power, sat together with Kaecilius.

"Stop."

Kaecilius took a sip of tea and said, "We've made too much noise. We've already drawn Kamar-Taj's attention."

"Why won't you accept my proposal?"

An irritated expression appeared on Garrett's face. "As long as we destroy the Three Sanctums and break the dimensional barrier, the entire world will fall under Lord Dormammu's control."

"Do you have the ability to destroy the Three Sanctums?"

Kaecilius glanced at Garrett. "Do I need to repeat the relationship between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Three Sanctums for you?"

"We can make arrangements."

Of course Garrett knew about the relationship between the Three Sanctums and S.H.I.E.L.D. For a time, he had even served as the liaison between them.

"Believe me."

Kaecilius shook his head. "The Three Sanctums, and even Kamar-Taj behind them, are not something the mundane world can oppose."

"This..."

Garrett wanted to say more, but Kaecilius interrupted him. "We have our master Dormammu's power. Do you think Kamar-Taj could have protected the human world before the dimensional barrier was established without any strength of its own?"

"..."

Garrett fell silent. Only now did he realize something: if Kamar-Taj did not possess sufficient strength, could the Three Sanctums alone truly withstand an attack from his master Dormammu?

Having experienced that invincible power, he understood that humanity's weapons were nothing more than toys to a dimensional demon god.

Even nuclear weapons, the most powerful weapons of all, were merely larger fireworks in the eyes of a dimensional demon god.

"I understand."

Garrett nodded. "I'll notify everyone now. All operations will stop."

"Mm."

Kaecilius nodded. "We're still short around three thousand children's souls from ten thousand. Continue the operation in other cities."

"Yes."

Garrett nodded, then left the secret base.

Kaecilius raised his head, as though he could see the outside world through the steel ceiling.

"Kamar-Taj..."

"Master Ancient One..."

"Zhang Yang..."

"Dormammu will descend soon. Do you like this gift?"

"Achoo!"

Zhang Yang suddenly let out a huge sneeze.

He had monitored the entire city for a whole night, yet he had not discovered anything unusual.

Other than that one child, no other children had been sent to the hospital tonight.

It seemed like the matter had already ended?

Zhang Yang felt that things were not that simple.

After meditating for a while, Zhang Yang received a message from John Constantine at noon.

The message said that children had also fallen into comas in other cities. He and Lucifer had split up to investigate and discovered that a group of Dormammu believers tainted by dark magic had done it.

These believers shared one trait: they did not fear death.

After Lucifer intercepted their souls and interrogated them, he discovered their identities.

Hydra!

In the message, John Constantine had also left the location of the Hydra base where Kaecilius was staying.

"It's in the suburbs?"

Suburbs, Hydra Secret Base.

"Hiss..."

Kaecilius, who had been pouring tea, suddenly felt a sharp palpitation in his heart. Tea spilled onto his hand, scalding him until he grimaced in pain.

"My believers..."

At that moment, Dormammu's voice appeared in his mind. "A believer's soul has been taken. Find them!"

"A soul was taken?"

Upon hearing that, Kaecilius abruptly rose to his feet. "Who did it?"

"The powerful being who took the souls carries a strong scent of sulfur."

After saying that, Dormammu provided no further clues, merely issuing an order. "Find them and complete the task I gave you!"

"Yes, my great master."

Kaecilius prostrated himself and respectfully saw Dormammu off.

Once that terrifying power left his mind, Kaecilius climbed to his feet and took out a walkie-talkie.

"Notify everyone. This place can no longer be used. Everyone, withdraw to another base!"

After saying that, Kaecilius threw aside the walkie-talkie and waved a hand, opening a Portal.

On the other side of the Portal was another Hydra Secret Base, one Kaecilius had visited several times.

"I'll leave you a gift."

After passing through the Portal, Kaecilius created a Mirror Dimension and left something inside it.

"Hope you... enjoy yourselves!"