Outriders

"Did you really unravel humanity’s Life Equation?"

Seeing Leng Feng unleash such unimaginable power, Loki looked utterly incredulous as he turned to Chen Mu.

"Yeah, not humanity’s. Just the Chinese people’s."

Chen Mu said casually, looking at the portal in the sky. At that moment, it seemed to be growing ever larger, while the Chitauri army fearlessly charged through from the other side.

"…"

Loki fell silent. If Chen Mu had said he had unraveled humanity’s Life Equation, Loki might not have been quite so shocked. But Chen Mu had specifically said he had only unraveled the Chinese people’s Life Equation. That was far more difficult than unraveling the Life Equation of all humanity.

To make a single human race, or several races, evolve independently, one first had to unravel the genetic equation of all humanity. Only then could one establish a series of conditions for its use.

Not to mention anything else, China alone had fifty-six ethnic groups. And many of those groups shared genes with people in other countries—wouldn’t that let outsiders evolve as well?

Of course, Loki knew that Chen Mu only acknowledged his own people in his heart. He had no desire whatsoever to help foreigners from other countries and ethnicities. Saying he had only unraveled the Chinese people’s Life Equation was merely an excuse.

Loki was not stupid. Naturally, he would not say such things aloud. It was enough for him to know.

Still, being able to unravel the Life Equation and allow an entire race to evolve to a higher level of life was truly incredible!

At that moment, Loki was filled with admiration for Chen Mu.

"Life Equation? What’s that?"

Tony, on the other hand, looked utterly curious.

"Nothing much. It just gave Chinese people longer lifespans."

Although people in many countries knew that China was carrying out some sort of modification on its citizens, those people—including Tony—did not actually know what kind of modification China was performing.

In any case, quite a few hostile countries had even loudly claimed that China was conducting inhumane human experiments on its own citizens, producing all kinds of so-called evidence to attack China.

But China could not even be bothered to spare those claims a second glance. Their horizons were different now. China had long since set its sights on the vast universe and was already developing cosmic resources. Who had time to play political games with those countries?

As long as its own citizens believed in it, that was enough. Those who trusted the nation had voluntarily gone to the capital. After learning about evolution to a higher level of life, only fools would refuse it. And those actual "fools" who believed foreign media reports were the people in China who had yet to undergo evolution.

These people would rather believe fake news from foreign countries that baselessly slandered China than trust their own nation. With only a little provocation from outside forces, they smugly convinced themselves that they were the clever ones, the ones who had opened their eyes to see the world. They considered themselves superior and looked disdainfully upon the Chinese people’s "obedience."

Little did they know that, in the eyes of evolved Chinese people, they were nothing but idiots.

Leaving everything else aside, wasn’t a five-hundred-year lifespan enough of a temptation?

Moreover, many people in China had not yet qualified for the first batch of evolution. Many of them had learned the truth about it from friends, and even more were striving to improve themselves in hopes of becoming qualified.

Yet news about evolution rarely reached foreign countries. Even if it did, would those people who thought so highly of themselves really believe it?

"Longer lifespans?"

Tony frowned deeply. He had to admit that those words moved him greatly, but he still had his doubts.

"Let’s not talk about that yet. Go wash yourself clean first."

Chen Mu looked disgusted. Watching Nezha slaughter his way across the battlefield had stirred his blood as well. He wanted to join the fight personally and display his own strength.

"Yeah, you’re filthy."

Little Pepper, who had returned to the building by then, wore the same look of disgust.

After this incident, the name Tony Sh*t Stark would probably follow Tony forever.

"I’ll leave Loki to you. I’m going to help too."

Chen Mu took out his Thunder Sword. After saying that to Tony and the others, he stepped onto the sword and flew straight into the sky.

Endless lightning spread like an electric net, effortlessly covering vast stretches of space and wiping out large numbers of Chitauri troops.

"Are they all powered by electricity?"

Tony looked at Loki and asked curiously, "Did your brother Thor teach Chinese people lightning magic?"

"…"

Loki was speechless. He was certain that the Chinese people’s lightning was far stronger than Thor’s half-baked thunder!

Leaving everything else aside, Thor could not summon the lightning Chen Mu had just unleashed!

And then there was the way he stood atop a flying sword. It was fucking cool!

Chen Mu could fly, but like Nezha, he had not chosen to fly directly. Instead, he had summoned his own "magic treasure." Nezha rode the Wind Fire Wheels, while Chen Mu stood upon a flying sword. Their styles were different, yet both were filled with China’s distinctive flair, and both looked incredibly cool!

In any case, it was far more pleasing to watch than Thor being dragged through the air by his hammer.

"Lightning magic can’t compare to their thunder."

Loki still gave a fair assessment. "Thor’s lightning is weaker than Chen Mu’s. Even that soldier named Leng Feng might be far stronger than Thor when it comes to lightning alone."

"Whatever the case, it looks like I can finally rest for a while…"

Watching the few of them shine on the battlefield, Tony let out a sigh of relief. Although the portal issue had yet to be resolved, he could at least catch his breath now.

At that very moment, a sudden change occurred. The portal in the sky abruptly expanded again, becoming more than twice as large as before.

Previously, it had barely been large enough for one Leviathan to pass through. Now, ten could charge out at once without any problem.

A massive black triangular spacecraft suddenly shot out of the portal like an arrow, plunging fiercely toward the ground.

With a thunderous boom, the spacecraft crashed down. Everyone’s gaze was drawn toward it involuntarily.

"Clack, clack…"

The spacecraft’s hatch opened, and a huge number of monsters suddenly rushed out, surging in every direction like a black flood.

Thanos’s army, the Outriders—four-armed monsters created by Thanos’s forces after invading various planets and transforming their native creatures. Many were also directly cloned. They were vast in number and fearless in death. Individually, they might not be particularly powerful, but their overwhelming numbers could absolutely become the nightmare of any civilization.

In short, countless Outriders had been deployed throughout New York. The poor people of America were about to face an unimaginable nightmare.