Alison stared at Thor for a full three seconds, then shifted her gaze to the people behind him, finally settling on Wanda's face.
"... Wanda?"
Her voice was dry, carrying a hint of uncertainty.
Polaris Lorna next to her, reacted even more strongly; several strands of her long green hair sprang out from the gaps in the suppressor and floated uncontrollably in the air.
" Wanda? How could you be here?!"
Lorna stared intently at Wanda, took a half step back, and slammed her back against the metal wall of the cell.
"I watched you turn into a zombie with my own eyes! Half your face was rotten, yet you still chased me for three blocks!"
"What... what exactly are you?"
Wanda took two steps forward and stood at the cell door.
She didn't rush to explain; she first looked Lorna up and down.
"I am not Wanda from your universe."
Lorna didn't reply; the suppressor on her wrist buzzed.
Wanda took another step forward, and the Sorcerer Supreme's robes gleamed with a pale golden light in the dim dungeon.
"The Wanda you knew is dead, or rather, she's now a walking corpse."
She paused for a moment.
I come from another universe.
Lorna's back was pressed against the wall, her green hair slowly falling down. She neither said she believed nor disbelieved, but stared intently at Wanda's face for a long time.
This face was exactly the same as the Wanda she remembered before she was bitten.
But their temperaments are completely different.
Wanda stood there, her back ramrod straight, the robes she wore emanating a power she couldn't fathom, a subtle sense of oppression emanating from them.
If she hadn't witnessed her sister turn into a pile of mangled flesh, she would almost have thought this was the real person.
"... Do you need evidence?" Wanda asked.
Lorna shook her head.
"Need not."
She removed her hand from the wall and hugged her arm.
"Am I alive in your universe?"
Wanda paused for a moment, then made up a lie.
"Alive."
Lorna didn't say anything more.
Thor ignored the reminiscing; his attention had already shifted to the cell next door.
Alison was still standing there in a daze when he glanced at her and moved on. Dazzler was in better condition than he had expected. She hadn't been bitten and seemed to be in good spirits, although her clothes were tattered beyond recognition.
His gaze fell on the innermost cell.
Under the dim light, a man sat on the ground against the wall. His straitjacket was covered in scratches, indicating that he had struggled more than once. His stubble was unshaven, and his hair was a mess. He looked like he had been pulled out of a garbage dump.
Thor stared at the face for two seconds, and the matching results automatically popped up in his mental database.
Ash Williams.
The original holdout in the Evil Dead series, a man who spent half his life battling the Necronomicon.
He died once in his own world and was then thrown into this Zombie Universe by a dimensional rift. None of the superheroes heeded his warnings and ended up at Doctor Doom's place in search of the Necronomicon, whereupon he was imprisoned in a dungeon.
Before Thor could speak, Ash had already made his move.
"Oh--another one."
He sprang to his feet, the straitjackets jingling, his mouth moving ten times faster than his brain.
"Blonde hair, big guy, dressed like a fucking circus guy—you're that Hammer Bro, right? Hey! Listen to me, you idiot, what did I say? I said this fucking virus would kill everyone! Did you guys hear me? No! You were all busy wearing tight pants and showing off your muscles—"
He pointed at Thor's face through the railing.
"And what happened? They all turned into stinking zombies! Only you, this golden retriever, are still barking here—"
Thor raised his right hand and flicked his index finger lightly.
A tiny bolt of lightning, as thin as a hair, silently entered Ash's chest.
Ash moment, his mouth still open as if he wanted to curse.
"What the hell did you do to me--"
"Aa...
An electric current exploded through his body, Ash jumped up in the cell, his limbs twitching, his mouth wide open, and a smell of burnt meat wafting out.
Everyone present smelled it at the same time.
Felicia wrinkled her nose, Morgan le Fay tilted his head slightly, and Doom remained motionless.
Ash lay on the ground, panting heavily, wisps of smoke rising from his body.
But the next second, the burned skin began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in less than three seconds, it was completely healed, even the scorch marks on the restraint suit were gone.
Ash struggled to his feet, his face filled with disbelief.
"You dog--"
"Aaaaaaahh...
Another round of electric shocks began.
This time it lasted even longer. Ash bounced from the left wall to the right wall in the cell, looking like popcorn being thrown into a microwave.
The smell of burning filled the air again, and then my body returned to normal.
Ash got up from the ground for the third time, and this time he was a little smarter, so he tentatively opened his mouth first.
"You..."
No power.
"You..."
Still no power.
"You bastard... you scoundrel--"
"Aaaaaaahh...
The third round.
Lorna huddled in the corner of her cell, silently turning her face to the side, while Alison covered her ears.
Thor withdrew his hand, turned around, and scanned everyone present.
The scene was very quiet.
Why are you all looking at me?
He clapped his hands.
"I'm a very magnanimous person; I never fuss over such trivial matters."
No one responded, or rather, no one dared to respond.
Felicia rolled her eyes inwardly. "You call yourself magnanimous? They only swore at you three times and you shocked their tricycle? You're just... --"
Her train of thought came to an abrupt halt as Thor tilted his head to look at her.
Felicia's spine stiffened. She suddenly remembered that this man had just casually teleported everyone into the fortress. It seemed that being able to read minds wasn't such a big deal.
She immediately made a zipping motion at her mouth and then turned her face away.
You have to understand that Thor Doom Morgan universe, took three days and three nights of combined fighting to barely force him back. And compared to this Thor in front of them, Thor is not even a species.
The Super Soldier Serum she was injected with wouldn't even scratch an itch compared to this level.
Keeping quiet to save your life is a matter of course.
Thor stopped teasing her and turned to take two steps toward Doom.
The lights from the Doom Fortress dungeon shone on his face, dividing it into light and shadow.
" Doom."
Doom stood in the middle of the corridor, his iron-gray visor revealing no emotion.
"Explain."
"That talking Necronomicon."
Thor stopped in his tracks.
Where did you put it?
Doom did not answer immediately.
Behind the iron mask, the eyes narrowed slightly.
He didn't ask, "How do you know Doom has the Necronomicon?" nor did he ask, "What gives you, an outsider, the right to inquire about Doom's collection?"
Because in the past half hour, he had come to fully realize one fact: the man in front of him knew everything about the universe.
Asking such a question only makes you look ridiculous.
But the Necronomicon is one of the few trump cards he has.
In this Zombie Universe apocalypse, that book is the only thing that could possibly reverse the laws of the undead.
Hand it over?
Not handing it over?
Doom's fingertips twitched beneath his Cloak, and he finally gave his answer.
"Library."
He ultimately uttered only three words.
In the cell behind him, Ash struggled to sit up, his lips trembling as he opened and closed them, wanting to curse but not daring to. Finally, he squeezed out a sentence without any profanity through his teeth.
"That damn... no, that 'hateful' book, you'd better not touch it."
He swallowed hard to make sure he wasn't shocked before continuing.
"Only I can talk to it; that thing can lie."
Thor glanced back at him.
Ash flinched, but didn't stop talking.
"I mean... please, brother, could you please take this 'uncomfortable feeling' off me?"
Thor ignored him and looked back at Doom.
"Lead the way."
Doom remained silent for two seconds behind his visor before turning and walking deeper into the corridor, the hem of his dark green Cloak brushing against the metal floor with a soft rustling sound.
Morgan le Fay followed half a step to his side, his turquoise eyes glancing at Thor before looking away.
Thor followed.
Behind him, Ash reached out through the railing, opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He looked down at his chest; the lightning bolt was still there, lying quietly, waiting for the next time he uttered a curse.
"... Damn it."
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Just who is this blond man... Mr. 'Sir'?"
He carefully chose his words, casting a pleading glance at Lorna next door.
Lorna ignored him.
At the top of the three-story staircase, Doom pushed open the library door.
The moment Thor stepped inside, a cold, hoarse voice, tinged with malicious laughter, echoed from the deepest part of the bookshelf.
"Oh—Lord Doom has brought guests again."
The cover of the Necronomicon was slowly being turned open, and on the human skin-bound cover, a distorted face emerged, grinning towards the doorway.
"Let me smell it... Hmm, a fresh Soul Stone, still warm--"
It suddenly stopped.
The smile on the face on the cover froze in place, all the wrinkles standing still.
"... etc."
Its voice changed, from cold to sharp, and from sharp to trembling.
"What the hell are you?!"