Seeing Nick's victorious posture, Tony raised an eyebrow. "You're a friend of my father's? Then I really feel sorry for him."
"To actually have a friend like you-breaking into a friend's house in the middle of the night and pointing a gun at a friend's son, is this how you treat friends, Mr. Nick?"
Tony relentlessly criticized Nick, and instantly, the smile on Nick's face vanished.
"Perhaps you're right, but this is my job, so please cooperate."
"Don't expect anyone to save you; now come with me quietly."
With that, Nick motioned to a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative beside him. That S.H.I.E.L.D. operative nodded in understanding and stepped forward to cuff Tony.
Before he could even make a move, Tony stood straight up from the sofa. The moment he rose, everyone who had been aiming their guns at him pulled their bolts simultaneously, and conflict broke out instantly.
Nick was also startled by Tony's movement. Raising a hand to signal everyone not to act rashly, he spoke rapidly, "I'll warn you again: stay right there and don't move, or I can't guarantee your safety."
"You really think you've got me in the bag?" Tony chuckled dismissively.
The next second, streams of black figures emerged from the ground, blocking in front of Tony.
Seeing this, Nick's pupils contracted. He stopped trying to hold everyone back and instead took the initiative to order, "Fire!"
Instantly, countless bullets formed a metal storm that swept toward Tony.
The Shadow Ninjas blocking in front of Tony were torn to pieces by the bullets one after another, vanishing right where they stood.
Yet a scene that exceeded Nick's expectations occurred: the Shadow Ninjas vanished fast, but they appeared even faster.
The shadows on the ground seemed inexhaustible as new Shadow Ninjas continuously appeared to block in front of Tony, building a wall of human flesh for him.
Watching this, Nick finally realized that things were going poorly.
Previously, he had always assumed that the Shadow Ninjas were special-ability users Tony had recruited from somewhere.
After all, this world was bizarre, and all kinds of people existed.
However, watching these people disregard their own lives to block bullets for Tony, he finally realized that these people might not be special-ability users at all.
After all, humans possessed a survival instinct; whenever their lives were threatened, very few people would risk their lives for others without regard for their own safety.
Let alone doing what they were doing now: knowing they were bound to die, yet continuously using their lives to block bullets for Tony.
By the time he realized this, however, it was already too late. Not only in front of Tony, but all around them, Blade Ninjas continuously emerged, their sharp claws tearing through the air, and screams immediately rang out among the crowd.
Although they had made preparations beforehand, when things came to a head, everyone still found themselves unable to cover everything at once.
Just as the battle broke out inside the room, down in the underground laboratory, a figure walked in slowly.
Reed, who was recording data, heard the commotion and turned around immediately. Looking at the unfamiliar figure before him, a trace of wariness surfaced on his face.
"Who are you?"
The newcomer ignored him, casting his gaze instead toward Bruce in the nutrient chamber.
Confirming that he was the target of this trip, the newcomer walked straight toward the nutrient chamber.
"Stop right there, don't move!"
Reed shouted a warning, pulling out a gun from somewhere.
Yet he clearly underestimated the newcomer's terror. Seeing him holding a gun, the newcomer's figure flashed instantly, appearing before Reed at a speed the naked eye could barely catch, and slammed a fist into his stomach.
Instantly, Reed's figure shot backward like a cannonball, smashing straight into a pile of experimental equipment.
Having done all this, the newcomer turned, opened the nutrient chamber, pulled Bruce out from inside, hoisted him onto his back, and walked outward.
What he failed to notice was that the moment Bruce left the nutrient chamber, his eyelids twitched slightly.
To keep Bruce in a deep sleep, Tony had mixed a large amount of anesthetic into the nutrient fluid inside the chamber to keep him unconscious.
Now, leaving the nutrient chamber meant that Bruce could wake up at any moment.
Stepping out of the laboratory and arriving at the living room, Tony-dressed in casual wear-was sitting there, while at his feet, Nick lay covered in wounds.
Looking at the fellow walking out of the laboratory, Tony's gaze remained calm, without a shred of surprise.
The existence of JARVIS prevented every corner of this villa from escaping Tony's eyes.
As for Nick lying on the ground, upon seeing the figure emerge from the laboratory, a sound of astonishment escaped his lips.
"Bucky!"
Hearing that name, Tony couldn't help but take another look at the newcomer.
Bucky, full name Bucky Barnes, friend of Captain America, transformed into the Winter Soldier after being brainwashed by Hydra.
"Interesting. S.H.I.E.L.D., the military, and now even you Hydra people are getting involved. Today really is lively."
Bucky looked at the two of them expressionlessly, showing not a trace of panic at having his identity exposed.
Placing the Bruce on his back aside, he slowly drew a long saber from behind his back. The blade was like snow, shimmering with a cold light.
Seeing this, Tony remained unhurriedly seated on the sofa, merely having streams of black figures appear around him.
There were many super-powered individuals in the Marvel Universe, but the majority of extraordinary beings were nothing more than stronger and faster.
Against such extraordinary beings, the Shadowkhan were more than enough to handle, so Tony naturally didn't even have the desire to move.
"Kill!"
With a gentle wave of his hand, the Blade Ninjas instantly charged toward Bucky, while Bucky gripped his long saber and met them head-on.
The two sides collided fiercely, and the sound of clashing metal echoed through the villa.
Bucky's strength was immense; the long saber in his hand seemed to have come alive as Blade Ninjas were continuously decapitated by him.
Yet no matter how strong he was, he was only one person. Unless he possessed absolute, overwhelming strength, he would sooner or later be swallowed up by the crowd of the Shadowkhan.
Clearly, Bucky did not possess absolute, overwhelming strength.
Consequently, as time passed, Bucky was gradually engulfed by the Blade Ninjas.
Tony sat on the sofa, watching the battle between the two sides with great interest, but right at that moment, a muffled groan rang out.
On the battlefield, that sound was barely audible, yet Tony's expression changed instantly.
He immediately shifted his gaze behind Bucky.
Only to see Bruce, who had just been dropped behind Bucky, sitting up from the ground with a painful expression, clutching his head.
He wore only a pair of shorts from head to toe, and his eyes revealed a trace of bewilderment.
Glancing around the chaotic scene, the bewilderment in his eyes grew even heavier.
Soon, a wave of a headache struck suddenly, and a series of memory fragments flashed continuously through his mind.
He had mutated, wreaking destruction wildly on the street.
He had broken out of the encirclement and reached an alley.
A man in black had knocked him out, and he had been taken to a laboratory and had his blood drawn...
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