The Curtain Has Risen

"All right, for your sake, I'll make the trip."

Li Chen got up and gently patted Tohka on the head, telling her to wait where she was.

He entered the spatial transit chamber and appeared in Tony Stark's villa the next second.

Dim blue particles of light slowly gathered, eventually taking shape beside the living room sofa.

Li Chen swept his cold gaze over the two men before him—two gleaming bald heads, one black and one white.

The black one was his old acquaintance Fury. The white one was presumably the **-appointed congressional representative.

"Three minutes. Talk."

"Dammit! How did you get in here?!"

"Spatial teleportation."

Watching their astonished expressions, Li Chen spoke calmly.

To Earth's current technology, instantaneous teleportation that ignored distance was pure fantasy. The fact that Li Chen could land precisely on this sofa meant he could also bypass any security and appear in a certain **'s bedroom.

Though if he really wanted to **, he preferred crushing his way through head-on.

"Mr. Li, as a citizen of our country, you are obligated to hand this technology over to the state." Greed glimmered in the white congressman's eyes.

"First, I'm not under your jurisdiction." Li Chen raised his index finger and waved it. "Second, who the hell are you?"

"Don't mind them. They're always like this." Tony, who was sorting through his father's belongings, cut in. "Last time, they even tried to force me to hand over the armor technology."

The congressman maintained his fake smile, but he had already marked Iron Man down in his mind.

"Time's up."

"Please sign this Superhero Registration Act." The white congressman pushed the document over.

Li Chen skimmed through a few pages, then let out a derisive laugh.

The act required League members to disclose their identities and ability records to S.H.I.E.L.D. and obey mandatory deployment. The so-called compensation was nothing more than a handout for beggars.

In the conference room, the white bald politician wore a fake smile as he asked, "What do you think? If you have no objections, please sign here."

"Ha."

Li Chen casually tossed the so-called Hero Regulations onto the floor, his face twisted in a mocking sneer.

It seemed some people still hadn't learned their lesson.

Did they really think the entire world had to revolve around them?

The Hero Association was now one of the world's top organizations. Tatsumaki alone could make the entire United States vanish from the map.

Those advanced weapons they were so proud of were nothing but children's toys before superpowered beings.

"Don't be so quick to refuse. Your organization's activities in New York have won deep public support, but the authorities' patience is limited."

"Get lost."

"Fine. Keep the act for now. If you change your mind within a month, contact me anytime."

The bald politician was not surprised by the rejection and instead gave him more time to consider. He firmly believed that under ** pressure, the other party would eventually compromise.

That idea was as absurd as Eastern Wu demanding Cao Wei surrender during the Three Kingdoms era.

"And there's the matter in New Mexico."

"Speak."

"The destruction caused by your battle spread across a hundred miles, with losses reaching several billion."

"So?"

"Naturally, ** is very generous. You only need to hand over that captured Spirit..."

"Time's up."

Li Chen rose with a cold laugh. Talking to this idiot was a complete waste of time; the man had utterly failed to understand the situation.

Choose between Tohka and the entire United States? He would not hesitate to make this country disappear.

The authorities had set their sights on the Spirit for no reason other than to study spatial abilities and destructive power.

"Stop! The Spirit must be handed over immediately!"

"If it weren't for Stark's sake, you'd already be minced meat."

"This is your final warning!"

Bang—

The bald politician's body exploded instantly, blood and chunks of flesh splattering throughout the conference room.

"Hey, Chairman, this is my house!" The one-eyed S.H.I.E.L.D. director covered his forehead and complained. "Couldn't you have handled it more cleanly? You've really caused ** trouble now."

"That man was a Hydra **." Li Chen spoke with his back to everyone. "Go back and tell those ** that if they dare meddle again, I don't mind disposing of every last congressman."

"..."

New York, the Capitol Building's council chamber.

The roundtable conference, usually controlled by the ten most powerful congressmen, now had one empty seat.

As the man at the helm of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury could only stand to one side—anyone seated here could influence the political landscape.

"Outrageous! We absolutely cannot continue indulging such arrogant behavior!"

A congressman in a suit slammed the table, his entire face flushed red.

It wasn't that he felt any injustice for his bald colleague whom Li Chen had strangled to death. He simply feared the League of Heroes—not only did it possess destructive power, it acted with complete impunity.

Today, they could casually crush a congressman to death. Tomorrow, he might be next.

"Director Fury, resolving this problem is your duty."

"Don't be naive. You all know how terrifying Tornado of Terror is."

"Perhaps we could deploy..."

"Stop!" The one-eyed director raised a hand to interrupt. "Let me remind you all that your so-called ultimate weapon would only turn against you if she controlled it with telekinesis."

Fury had no doubt about it—even if they launched **, the only outcome would be a mushroom cloud rising over their own territory with a boom.

After Li Chen exposed the large number of Hydra ** embedded within S.H.I.E.L.D., Fury had secretly investigated and indeed found many suspicious individuals.

But he could not alert the enemy yet—if, as Li Chen said, eighty percent of them were traitors, any rash move would only result in his own "accidental sudden death."

Moreover, the warning about a global crisis also kept him awake at night.

From his personal standpoint, he had no desire to become enemies with the League of Heroes.

But these congressmen, living in their ivory towers, always loved meddling in professional matters.

If he refused their orders, they would absolutely replace him without hesitation and install an obedient puppet.

"Is there truly nothing we can do?"

Another congressman spoke with a trembling voice.

If even nuclear deterrence failed, they would completely lose the initiative.

"And this is only the strength Tornado of Terror has displayed. That doesn't include the other members, much less that mysterious chairman."

"Then... we truly need to think this over carefully."

"..."

Why not put aside their prejudice and let them act freely?

Those people in the League of Heroes did not care about power struggles at all.

The more they **, the more likely it was to backfire.

But Fury knew these paranoid politicians would never listen. They always believed others were coveting their power.

"Since force won't work, we'll use another method."

"Aren't they fighting monsters in New York? In just one month, they've already won massive public support."

"If this continues, public opinion may even turn toward the League of Heroes."

"In that case, the Avengers plan must be launched ahead of schedule."

The ** congressman interlaced his fingers and made the decision coldly.

Previously, the upper ranks still had concerns about the Avengers—if this group of superpowered people united in rebellion, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But now, the League of Heroes was the greater threat.

At least the Avengers remained within their control, while the latter had completely slipped free of it.

"Funds will be allocated from the treasury."

"You will be responsible for the candidates."

"At the same time, spread word accusing the League of Heroes of concealing the source of the disaster, the 'Spirit,' and ** public hostility."

"Those who lost loved ones in the Spacequake will naturally become our allies."

Ever since he adopted Yatogami Tohka, Li Chen had expected trouble to come knocking.

But he did not care. Compared to politicians as insignificant as ants, the innocent and pure Spirit was far more worth protecting.

"The candidates have been preliminarily selected, but they may not be enough." Fury gave a bitter smile. "According to the League of Heroes' threat classification, threats above Demon Level cannot be dealt with by conventional weapons—unless ** is deployed."

The list he drafted included:

The recently awakened "Captain America," Steve Rogers, whose reputation from World War II could win public support;

The Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and other veteran agents;

As well as the highly promising martial arts prodigy—"Garou."

Off the coast of New York.

The ink-black sea was still as iron, without the slightest ripple.

Raging Tide Assault

The instant the schools of fish burst from the water, tens of thousands of silver scales shot into the air like lightning rods.

A dense army clad in scales emerged from the depths of the reefs, humanoid sea monsters advancing toward land through slime. A red cape billowed beneath a crown, deep-blue muscles bulging in thick knots, while the symbol of a Demon-level Disaster snapped in the sea wind.

"Land-dwelling vermin!" The Deep Sea King's three-fingered webbed claw crushed a reef. "Seven hundred years of oil, plastic, and radiation will be repaid in blood."

Mutated shells shattered beneath sonic waves, and fish skeletons reassembled into grotesque forms. The first monster army transformed by pollution was prying open the continent's defenses with whale-bone spears.

When a twelve-meter wall of seawater engulfed New York Harbor, coral arrows had already pierced the foreheads of armed guards. Wolf-level fishmen tore open bulletproof vests as easily as peeling shrimp shells.

That same day, screens across the United States suddenly flickered with static.

A Vibranium Shield cut through the electronic snow, while a stars-and-stripes uniform outlined textbook-perfect buttock curves. World War II posters drifted down from the ** of time, and white-haired old men trembled as they crumpled newspapers. "Rogers... that's impossible..."

Neon lights cast a ghastly pallor over the podium.

As the uniformed man adjusted the microphone, the stench of Deep-Sea Clan corpses drifted into Wall Street on the wind.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. director's orders had to be repeated word for word. He had long since mastered missions like this.

Back when he promoted war bonds, he had toured the entire country.

"Hello, everyone. I am Captain America."

"That's right, the one who disappeared seventy years ago."

"I slept in the Arctic Ocean for seventy years, and now I have returned to the world."

"After awakening, I will protect the people and fight evil **!"

"..."

The information age spread this news like wildfire.

Within mere minutes, nearly every American knew this shocking news.

How great was this war hero's prestige?

As the image benchmark fully cultivated by **, his influence was simply immeasurable.

From textbooks to memorial halls, from a commoner's rise to a glorious sacrifice—the perfect hero narrative—

Seventy years of peace had elevated his reputation to its peak.

Immediately afterward, a nationwide wave of celebration swept across the country:

Elderly veterans were the first to leave their homes, some in wheelchairs, some carried out on stretchers;

Retired soldiers joined one after another, inspired by him;

Teachers and students responded in turn...

Celebrating crowds flooded the major cities like a deluge.

"Chairman, should we intervene?"

Mash stared at the news on television, her brows tightly furrowed.

"With so many people gathered, should we eliminate them all?"

A dark energy sphere formed in Yatogami Tohka's palm as she asked nervously for instructions.

The armies that had attacked her in the past numbered only a few thousand, while the streets of New York now held millions of civilians.

The sight made her mistake the civilians for an enemy army—

If she released the energy sphere now, it would likely cause six-figure casualties in an instant.

"Relax." Li Chen waved a hand dismissively. "The authorities only want to use a hero's reputation to suppress us."

The move itself was not wrong, but they had overlooked a crucial variable—

The ultimate boss lurking within the Avengers: the Hero ** Garou!

This Demon Level martial artist with Super-Dragon-Level potential was quietly lying low within the newborn organization.

Coastline Alert

He had always scorned so-called "heroes."

Li Chen watched coldly as Captain America, elevated to godhood by the media, was about to become prey.

The sea wind carried abnormal energy fluctuations, as clear in Li Chen's perception as **.

"Mash, recall all field personnel immediately."

"Since some people believe the Avengers are enough to handle this crisis, let them have a taste of the deep sea's 'hospitality.'"

"The curtain has risen!"

On New York's coastal avenue, panicked crowds scattered in all directions like headless flies.

A five-meter-tall aberration was rampaging—a humanoid torso topped with an octopus head, sixteen sucker-covered tentacles thrashing about, and hundreds of murky eyeballs turning at once. The sight was enough to drive any normal person insane.