Introducing the Inhumans, the European Blood Clan

Inside the room, Wang Bert dismissed the portal and said to Skye, "I remember closing the door."

"It wasn’t locked."

Skye had no time to joke with Wang Bert. She told him what had happened earlier, then asked, "What are the Inhumans? And am I really an Inhuman?"

"I’ll explain it all tomorrow."

Wang Bert said, "Also, don’t worry. Even if you awaken, you won’t turn into something like Toad Monster."

Skye was delighted at first, then stunned. "So I really am an Inhuman?"

Wang Bert shrugged. "Maybe."

Skye was a little displeased. "Since you know everything, why didn’t you tell me?"

"That’s the bearing of an expert."

Wang Bert waved his hand. "All right, you can leave now. I invited a few celebrities over to discuss a partnership."

"Female celebrities, right? More than one, even? Aren’t you afraid of being sucked dry?"

Skye looked at him with utter contempt before turning and leaving the room. Her mind was full of questions. What exactly were the Inhumans?…

"A long, long time ago, a group of aliens came to Earth. They experimented on humans and created weapons of war."

At Blood God Manor, Wang Bert explained to Steve, Carter, Coulson, Tony, Rhodey, the president’s special envoy, and Skye, "Those weapons of war were the Inhumans."

"The Inhumans were weapons of war created by aliens?"

Skye’s eyes widened. Come on, I’m an Inhuman, okay? "That’s right. At the very beginning, the Inhumans were weapons of war—biological weapons with superpowers."

Wang Bert nodded. "Later, for reasons unknown, the aliens left, and the Inhumans gained their freedom."

"Bert, that doesn’t sound right."

Tony raised an objection. "If Inhumans really exist, why are there no records about them at all? With their superpowers, ruling the world would be effortless for them."

"I don’t know."

Wang Bert spread his hands. "Anyway, the Inhumans are now divided into two groups. One lives in seclusion on Earth. The No-Eyed People are probably part of them.

"According to Blood Clan records, the other group left in a spaceship. They should be on the moon now."

"On the moon?"

Everyone was even more astonished. Tony frowned deeply. "Bert, the more you talk, the more outrageous this gets. It isn’t scientific at all."

"There are plenty of unscientific things in this world. For example, why hasn’t Tony Stark been beaten to death after acting so arrogantly for all these years?"

Everyone burst out laughing. Rhodey laughed and said, "Believe me, I’ve wanted to beat him to death many times."

Tony pretended to be heartbroken. "Rhodey, I thought you liked me."

After the laughter died down, Steve asked, "Bert, do you have any evidence regarding the Inhumans?"

"Yes."

Wang Bert activated a holographic projection displaying countless photos and videos. "Over the past month or so, superpower-related incidents have occurred one after another around the world. For example, some people suddenly grew spikes all over their bodies, while others suddenly became incredibly strong and could even lift cars.

"And all of them were taken away by the No-Eyed People. If I’m not mistaken, they were awakened Inhumans."

Everyone began reviewing the material. Tony asked, "How do Inhumans awaken?"

"They need Terrigen Crystals to awaken. Before awakening, they are no different from ordinary humans."

Wang Bert said, "As for why so many Inhumans have awakened recently, I’m not entirely sure. It may be an Inhuman conspiracy."

After reviewing the files, Carter frowned. "The Inhumans clearly have ill intentions. We must find them as soon as possible."

Skye said timidly, "Maybe they just want to protect themselves."

"Little girl, you’re too naive. They’ve caused so much trouble. How could it possibly be just for self-protection?"

Tony said, "If they wanted to protect themselves, the best way would be to keep hiding, not come out and stir up trouble."

Skye had no answer. Her heart was a mess—her parents were very likely among the Inhumans.

Wang Bert nodded. "This Inhuman group made up of old Inhumans can basically be considered an enemy."

Tony asked, "Bert, do you have any Inhumans I can study?"

Wang Bert said, "Sure. Skye. She’s an unawakened Inhuman. Go ahead and study her!"

Everyone stared at Skye in astonishment. Skye flew into a rage. "How can you betray me? Besides, it hasn’t even been confirmed that I’m an Inhuman yet."

"This isn’t betrayal. The sooner your identity is revealed, the better it is for you."

Wang Bert took the Obelisk from a box beside him and tossed it to Skye. "Oh, catch this."

"The Obelisk?"

Carter’s expression changed drastically. She hurriedly shouted, "Skye, get away from it!"

"Huh?"

Carter had shouted too late. Skye had already caught the Obelisk, but she was not harmed.

"Ms. Carter, why did you tell me to get away?"

Skye asked in confusion. At that moment, the patterns on the Obelisk suddenly began to glow. Skye jumped in fright and hurriedly threw it onto the table.

The moment the Obelisk left Skye’s hand, it immediately dimmed. Carter asked Wang Bert in confusion, "Bert, what’s going on? Doesn’t touching the Obelisk turn people to stone?"

"Turn people to stone?"

Skye froze, then glared furiously at Wang Bert. "You actually threw something so dangerous at me?"

"The Obelisk was left behind by aliens. They tampered with the metal, and only Inhumans can touch it."

Wang Bert explained, "Any non-Inhuman who touches it will immediately be petrified."

Tony understood. Looking at Skye, he asked, "So she really is an Inhuman?"

"Yes. Terrigen Crystals are hidden inside the Obelisk, but it must be opened correctly. Otherwise, the crystals inside will be damaged."

Wang Bert nodded. "The reason the Inhumans have been targeting me is probably because of this."

Skye said, "The No-Eyed People showed me photos of the Obelisk, as well as a huge black stone."

"A huge black stone?"

Everyone looked at Wang Bert. Wang Bert merely shrugged and did not answer.

After thinking for a moment, Tony said, "Bert, I’ll take this Obelisk back for research."

"Go ahead. But be careful. If you get petrified, remember to immediately cut off the petrified part."

"Got it."

Tony nodded. After thinking for a moment, he said to Skye, "Little girl, I need some of your blood. Is that okay?"

Skye cautiously asked, "Just some blood? You’re not going to cut me up and study me, are you?"

Tony said irritably, "What do you take us for? We’re Super Heroes. Not only are you one of us, even if you weren’t, we wouldn’t casually hurt you."

Skye let out a sigh of relief. "That’s good, Mr. Stark. You’re much better than some bastard."

Tony laughed. "Isn’t that obvious?"

"Tony, I’ll tell Pepper that you were flirting with a young girl."

Wang Bert said blandly, then turned to Steve. "The Inhuman situation is troublesome. S.W.O.R.D. needs a policy. How should we deal with the Inhumans?

"Right now, there are only a dozen or so each month, but that may not remain the case in the future. There are quite a lot of people with Inhuman genes. If this is mishandled, Earth may descend into chaos."

Steve and the others exchanged looks, all feeling that the matter was extremely difficult. Steve asked, "Bert, what do you think we should do?"

"This is your problem. Why are you asking me?"

Wang Bert shrugged. "All right, I’ve told you everything I needed to tell you and given you everything I needed to give you. I’m going back to my vacation. You people work hard."

Tony snapped, "You’re dumping the responsibility on us again?"

Wang Bert replied righteously, "Of course. If I weren’t going to dump it on you, why would I establish S.W.O.R.D.? Why would I work so hard to train Super Heroes?"

Everyone was speechless. He actually had a point.

Skye covered her face. How had she ever admired this guy? Not only did he have no sense of responsibility, he changed women as easily as changing clothes, and he was lazy, greedy, and obsessed with comfort.

"I believe in your wisdom and abilities. Go do it. If you need forceful support, come find me anytime."

With that, Wang Bert opened a portal with one hand and strode through it.

Tony shouted resentfully, "Thanks for thinking so highly of us."

"No need to thank me. Do a good job and don’t disappoint me."

Wang Bert smiled faintly and waved away the portal.

"Tch."

Tony rolled his eyes and complained, "He’s rich, and I’m rich too. Why is he so carefree while I have to work like an old ox?"

"Because you’re neither as strong nor as rich as he is."

Carter said, "Mercury nearly crashed the entire European market just to strike at the European Blood Clan. The funds Blood God can mobilize now are terrifying."

"With his name alone, the moment he says he wants a loan, banks all over the world kneel before him and give him however much he wants."

Tony said, "Not to mention Wakanda supports him with everything they have. Damn it, what kind of drug did he give Wakanda’s king? Why does the king listen to him so obediently?"

Rhodey looked at him disdainfully. "Are you jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous of him? He’s just nouveau riche."

Tony snorted. "What do you think we should do about the Inhumans?"

"This is no small matter. We can’t make a decision lightly."

Steve said, "We must gather S.W.O.R.D.’s senior officials and discuss it together."

Coulson agreed. "We truly can’t decide lightly. This may affect Earth’s fate."

Rhodey asked from the side, "Should we report this to the government?"

"We must report it. S.W.O.R.D. isn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. We won’t hide things."

Carter said, "Not only must we report this to the American Government, we must also report it to other countries. Only then can we dispel their suspicions about us."

Thinking of something, Tony suggested, "Aunt Carter, why don’t we make this public? Inhumans are spread all over the world. We can’t possibly be faster than the No-Eyed People. If we make it public, those Inhumans can come find us themselves."

"That’s a good idea, but first we must determine our stance toward Inhumans."

Steve said, "That’s the key."

"That’s true."

Tony nodded and stood up. "I’ll take Skye back for some tests first. Let me know when it’s time for the meeting."

Skye picked up the Obelisk. "The phrase ‘do some tests’ sounds so evil."

"Then should we call it a date instead?"

Tony spoke frivolously. Just then, an intelligent voice suddenly sounded. "Recording complete. Tony Stark’s remarks will now be sent to Miss Pepper."

"Wang Bert, that isn’t how high technology should be used."

Tony said furiously. Was he going to end up sleeping on the couch again? Why did I say again?

In an office building in London, Mercury sat high above while countless elites below either watched screens or made phone calls, all working feverishly.

At that moment, an assistant stepped forward excitedly. "President, the European Union has just issued an order freezing all funds of Rose Bank and conducting a comprehensive investigation into Rose Bank’s illegal money laundering activities."

Rose Bank was the bank of the European Blood Clan. The major families kept most of their funds there.

Mercury nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Send a team of top accountants to assist them."

Soon, someone else stepped forward. "President, HSBC is willing to abandon its cooperation with the European Blood Clan, on the condition that we take out a large loan from them."

Mercury nodded. "Agree to it."

"President, we have acquired the remaining hospitals in London."

"President, the government is willing to cooperate with us and officially establish the Blood Clan Police Department."

One piece of news after another arrived, almost all of it good. Although the European Blood Clan had operated in Europe for years and possessed immense wealth, it was nothing compared to Mercury’s Money Power.

After all, Blood God stood behind Mercury.

At that moment, Blade walked in carrying a stack of documents. "Not many Vampires have come to register, and not a single Pureblood has shown up. It looks like we’ll have to fight a battle."

"Then we fight. Blood God said that anyone who refuses to submit will be killed."

Mercury said coldly, "Strengthen the defenses around the Blood Clan Police Department. It represents Blood God’s honor. Nothing can happen to it."

Blade said, "No problem. I’ll stay with you for the time being. The European Blood Clan hates you to the bone now. They say you’re a disgrace among the Purebloods."

"They’re just a group of outdated old fools. How could they possibly understand Blood God’s greatness?"

Mercury was full of disdain. In the two years or so since then, she had changed completely.

Just then, a secretary called in. "President, an envoy from the Bathory Family has arrived."

Mercury said, "Countess Bathory’s family? Let him in."

Soon, a middle-aged man dressed like a butler entered. He cast a contemptuous glance at the humans beside him, then arrogantly said to Mercury, "Lady Mercury, Countess Bathory invites you to visit her castle."

Mercury said disdainfully, "What right does she have to invite me? If she wants to see me, she can come herself."

The middle-aged man was furious. "Insolent! Do you know who Countess Bathory is?"

"Of course. One of the first Blood Clan members created by Dracula, the founder of the Bathory Family, and one of the leaders of the European Blood Clan."

Mercury sneered. "But so what? I represent Blood God. Who could be more noble than Blood God?"

The middle-aged man cursed, "Damn it, you North American Purebloods have no manners at all. You’re no different from barbarians."

Mercury said contemptuously, "Cut out his tongue and throw him out."

"You…"

The middle-aged man was startled. Before he could say anything else, a silver war blade stabbed into his mouth and flicked upward, sending a tongue dropping out.

Blade sheathed his sword and waved his hand. "Throw him out."