Doom raised his hand, drew a line in the air with his five fingers, and the holographic projection in the center of the fortress suddenly lit up.
A three-meter-wide light screen unfolded, displaying a 360-degree real-time image of the fortress's perimeter through a blue grid.
Outside, there were swarms of super zombies.
Everyone was wearing a uniform, and everyone had their signature equipment.
Iron Man Armor, Hulk's shorts, and the dark red embers of Phoenix Force peeking out from under Phoenix's tattered uniform.
Magneto's helmet was tilted to one side, revealing half of his rotting face underneath, with metal fragments still floating around him.
It was full of superheroes and supervillains, all gathered together like at a comic convention; I didn't even see a single ordinary zombie.
Felicia was the first to recognize the leader of the zombies.
The Stars and Stripes uniform was tattered, the left arm was severed at the elbow, and the Vibranium Shield was covered with dark brown, dried bloodstains.
Felicia felt a chill run down her spine.
"Oh no, the captain and the others are back."
Her voice was hoarse and filled with fear.
The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense.
Thor frowned as he looked at the scene before him.
Something's not right.
This group of zombie superheroes set off to hunt for food in space, which will only take a few days at most.
The universe is so vast; you couldn't even finish exploring a single galaxy in a few days. How could they possibly turn back so quickly?
Unless something brings them back.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when Thor had already moved.
The Law of Mind spread silently, reaching the decaying ocean of consciousness outside the fortress.
The zombie's mind is chaotic, fragmented, and filled with endless hunger, but fragments of memory still remain.
Thor gleaned the answer from the remaining consciousness of the Zombie Iron Man.
The footage is very clear: a surveillance video, taken from a camera on the exterior wall of a building on a street in New York.
In the video, Wanda uses Chaos Magic to deal with a large group of zombies, and the sender of the video is an acquaintance, the artificial intelligence JARVIS.
Thor was at a loss for words.
Stark's AI butler is incredibly loyal.
Even though his master had turned into a zombie and was no longer human, with most of his brain rotten, JARVIS still diligently carried out the basic protocol of "monitoring abnormal energy fluctuations and reporting to the Boss".
Goodness, this is definitely the ultimate form of the working class.
Which boss wouldn't want such a beast of burden?
"They were called back," Thor began, briefly explaining the information he'd extracted from the zombie's mind. "The commotion in New York that day was too big; it was captured on camera, and JARVIS sent the footage to the Zombie Tony."
Felicia: "... JARVIS? That AI?"
"Yes, that AI. Even with its master so corrupt, it's still faithfully performing its duties." Thor shrugged. "I must say, Stark's creations are indeed durable."
No one could laugh, given the imminent crisis.
Wanda put down her bowl and turned to look at Thor.
What should we do?
Very direct, no fluff.
As Wanda asked this question, she was already channeling her Chaos Magic; tiny, scarlet lights flickered on her fingertips, ready to enter battle at any moment.
Thor scanned the zombie army on the light screen.
Zombie Captain America, Zombie Iron Man, Zombie Hulk, Zombie She-Hulk, Zombie Thor, Zombie Phoenix, Zombie Magneto, Zombie Doctor Strange... and a long list of others.
To be honest, with this lineup...
Even if they hadn't turned into zombies, if they were all at their peak while alive, they wouldn't have posed any real threat to him.
If he were to make a move, he could clear the area in thirty seconds, but that would be too boring.
and--
Thor's mind raced. These people were native inhabitants of this universe, and although they were utterly corrupt, they were ultimately "their enemies."
Doom, Felicia, and Lorna —these survivors have a blood feud with the zombie heroes. Having him take on all the responsibilities for them just feels like something's missing.
"I have an idea."
Everyone looked at him at the same time.
"I can give you a boost—" Thor held up a finger and swept it across everyone's faces, "You guys go, how about it?"
Everyone fell silent, looking at each other, unsure of what to say.
Thor couldn't be bothered to explain to them.
He walked up to Polaris Lorna, and extended his right index finger.
Lorna instinctively took a half step back.
"Don't move."
His fingertips gently touched the forehead of the Polaris.
An immense, absurd power surged into her body in an instant.
Her magnetic field perception exploded in an instant, revealing everything from the metal structure inside the fortress to the mineral veins deep underground, from the iron ions in the air to the location of every single screw in the Zombie Iron Man armor.
This was something she couldn't have done at her original ability level; compared to the abilities she had previously possessed, it was utterly insignificant.
"I've raised your strength to the level of someone I know who could be Magneto." Thor withdrew his finger. "Just how strong you are, you can sense it for yourself."
Lorna looked down at her hands; her ten fingers were trembling slightly. The power was too overwhelming, and her body hadn't had time to adjust.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind...
The metal pipes on the fortress ceiling began to hum, and the cutlery on the table automatically rose three inches.
She clenched her fist tightly, and all the metal fell silent at once.
Thor moved on to the next person, raising his right hand and stretching it out towards the outside of the fortress.
The five fingers are loosely clenched.
Three hundred meters away, the Zombie Thor suddenly released Mjolnir from his hand.
The hammer ripped through the night sky, smashed through two crumbling walls, and flew straight into the fortress before the astonished eyes of all the zombie superheroes—
Smack
Thor caught it with one hand.
The hammer handle was still covered with bits of rotten flesh left over from the Zombie Thor's meal. Thor shook it off with disgust, casually carved a rune on the hammer, then turned and threw it at Felicia.
"Then."
Felicia reflexively reached out to catch it.
The moment the hammer handle touched his palm, lightning exploded.
Platinum lightning burst forth from the hammer, spreading along Felicia's arm and throughout her body.
Her long, silvery-white hair was whipped about by the electric current, flying wildly. Asgard runes appeared on the surface of her claws and bodysuit, and a layer of shimmering armor instantly covered her shoulders and forearms.
Felicia looked down at the hammer in her hand, then at the changes in her own body.
"... Thor, are you serious?"
Thor finished the last bite of roast meat, patted the crumbs off his hands, and said, "Alright, little kitty, you're now the Mighty Thor. The instructions are simple: just smash it!"
Felicia tentatively raised the hammer, and the force feedback from her palm made her entire arm vibrate.
Thor didn't give her time to adjust; he had already walked up to Doom and Morgan le Fay.
"You two have a solid foundation in magic, I can just raise the ceiling directly."
Doom stared at him coldly.
" Doom doesn't need --"
Before he could finish speaking, Thor's hand was already on Doom's shoulder armor.
A dark golden power of law flowed into Doom's body, quadrupling his mana reserves within three seconds.
Doom's body tensed abruptly, and his eyes behind the mask suddenly glowed with an eerie green light.
" --Doom didn't finish speaking."
"I know, but I'll do the same thing after you tell me, to save time."
Thor then targeted Morgan le Fay's wrist, applying the same enhancement.
Morgan le Fay's dark magic surged and expanded within her; she closed her eyes for a second, and when she opened them again, her irises had turned a deep purple.
"Interesting," she said softly, flexing her fingers, revealing dark purple magic threads wrapped around her fingertips.
Finally, Thor looked towards the corner.
Ash was squatting on the ground, holding a piece of roasted meat, looking completely bewildered, as if asking, "What are you guys doing?"
"What ability do you want?" Thor asked.
Ash blinked but didn't answer.
He probably hasn't recovered from the psychological trauma of being slapped away by Doom earlier.
Thor waited two seconds, then grew impatient.
"Fine, I'll just add some power to you." He lifted Ash with one hand and poured a pure Law of Power into him. "I don't think you're very bright; you probably can't handle anything too complicated."
"Who the hell are you calling brainless?!"
"You."
Ash wanted to curse again, but the moment the Law of Power surged in, he sprang up.
He casually pinched the corner of the stone wall to the side, and a piece of it crumbled instantly.
"Damn it—" Ash stared at his hand, "What the hell is this thing?"
"You're welcome."
Thor clapped his hands and turned to sit back down.
What about me?
Valeria stood in front of him, arms crossed, her golden ponytail swung behind her, staring intently at him.
"You should upgrade mine too."
Thor glanced at her and refused outright.
"No."
"Why?"
"What are you, a scientist, doing on the front lines? Do you think you're Bruce Banner?"
Valeria pursed her lips, turned and left, muttering before she went, "Stingy."
Thor watched Valeria's departing figure, silently musing to himself.
Who told you, you pervert, to think about dissecting me all day long? If it weren't for Franklin's sake, I would have hung you up and given you a good spanking!
Wanda finished the last sip of her soup and put the bowl down.
"What about me? Should I go help?"
Thor shook his head.
"Not for now. The enhancements I gave them are already quite powerful—if they can't solve this, then they're utterly useless."
He spoke quite loudly, and his words clearly reached the ears of the enhanced individuals.
Doom and Morgan le Fay didn't react much, but Polaris Lorna and Black Cat Felicia clenched their fists secretly, clearly not wanting to be underestimated.
The fortress gates were blown open by the zombie attack.
The Zombie Captain America was the first to move, his tattered Vibranium Shield flying out of his hand, slicing through the air with a stench of decay, heading straight for the fortress entrance.
The shield flew halfway before being suspended in mid-air by an invisible force, remaining completely still.
Lorna stood in the center of the gate, her right hand held out horizontally with her fingers slightly spread.
The Vibranium Shield was frozen three meters away under her magnetic field control, unable to even spin once.
She gently clenched her fist, and the shield was kneaded into a palm-sized metal ball in mid-air.
" Avengers! Dinner's ready!"
Zombie Captain America let out a muffled roar, and the zombie army behind him surged forward simultaneously. Zombie Iron Man's palm cannon, Zombie Hulk's charge, and Zombie Phoenix's burning embers—the first wave of attacks swept over everything.
Lorna pushed her hands forward.
All metal within a 100-meter radius of the fortress simultaneously erupted.
Steel bars burst from the ground, steel beams rose from the ruins, and the Zombie Iron Man's entire suit of armor exploded on his body, scattering parts everywhere.
She single-handedly stopped the first wave of attacks.
"Aaaaaaah--!!"
A grating howl came from the flank as Ash swung a steel bar and leaped out of the fortress window, smashing it onto a zombie's head and stomping it into the ground.
"Come on!! Who the hell wants to taste me?!"
He punched the charging zombie Luke Cage away, jumped into the horde of zombies, and began to wreak havoc.
Felicia leaped from the top of the fortress, her long silver-white hair bursting in the wind, and in her hand Mjolnir held a white-gold arc of lightning.
The moment she landed, the Hammerhead slammed into the ground, and lightning exploded and spread outwards from her, piercing through the entire zombie horde within a 30-meter radius.
She straightened up and shook the hammer in her hand.
"I never imagined that one day I would be Thor."
On the other side of the fortress, Doom and Morgan le Fay emerged side by side.
Zombie Doctor Strange, now a zombie, floated in mid-air, his hands forming a twisted hand seal, from which dark red corruption magic poured forth.
Three zombie mages followed behind, their tattered Cloak billowing in the night wind.
Doom raised his right hand.
A torrent of dark green magic erupted from his palm, instantly engulfing Zombie Doctor Strange's first wave of attacks.
Morgan le Fay simultaneously dodged to the side, and dark purple magic threads shot out from his ten fingers, piercing through the night sky and wrapping around the limbs of the three zombie mages.
The three zombie mages were simultaneously dragged to the ground, creating three craters.
A syllable finally emerged from beneath the Doom mask.
"Snort."
Inside the fortress, Thor sat back in his chair and crossed his legs.
Wanda sat beside her, while Valeria, holding a terminal, frantically recorded the combat data of everyone outside.
On the light screen, Lorna twisted Zombie Magneto's helmet into a pretzel.
Felicia smashed the Zombie Hulk into the ground with a single blow.
Ash rode on top of the Zombie She-Hulk, punching and cursing at the same time.
Doom and Morgan le Fay teamed up to tear Zombie Doctor Strange's dimensional portal to shreds.
Everything is under control.
However, in the corner of the light screen, a new heat source signal appeared out of nowhere.
Valeria's terminal detected it first; her eyes were glued to the data, and she issued a warning:
"... This energy reading is incorrect."
Thor's gaze swept quickly across the light screen.
On the screen of light, in the darkness at the far end of the battlefield, a figure slowly emerged, golden light shining from its tattered chest.
Valeria turned to look at Thor, her expression clearly changing, and her lips moved slightly:
" Thor, this is a big problem. That zombie is Sentry Robert Reynolds."