Peter Caught in Indecision (Extra Chapter for the FFF Regiment Chief 11/12)

"Why do you think I would agree to that?" Zhan Liu asked, giving his second disciple a sidelong glance.

A good child with such a pure heart would certainly be a promising candidate worthy of reaching the ultimate realm if he could hold firmly to his convictions.

But that was precisely the difficult part. Most good children were too kindhearted, too softhearted, and their convictions were not firm enough. They needed someone to guide them a little.

Someone like Obito Uchiha next door, for instance.

"Master, we’re doing the right thing! We’re saving the world! That Magneto has killed millions! We have to stop him!"

"Have to?" Zhan Liu sneered. "Why do you have to?"

"With great power comes great responsibility!" Peter replied as though it were self-evident.

"Since we have such great power, of course we have to give back to the world and contribute our own strength!"

"Besides, when one’s lips are gone, one’s teeth will be cold! Magneto wants to exterminate all of humanity, and that includes you and me!"

"Looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. is pretty good at brainwashing people!" Zhan Liu said with an amused smile.

"I haven’t been brainwashed by anyone. Everything I said came from the bottom of my heart." Peter shouted angrily, "Everything I said is right."

"Heh… ‘With great power comes great responsibility…’" Zhan Liu chuckled as he looked at the innocent Peter. "Peter, when did you become so arrogant?"

"What?"

Peter had thought his master would argue with him and spout a whole lot of bizarre theories to twist his thinking. Before coming here, he had already discussed a whole set of countermeasures with Nick Fury. Instead, Zhan Liu had come out with something completely beyond his expectations.

"Peter, you’re merely a high school student. When did you start thinking you had great power?"

"After people praised you a few times, did you really start thinking you were Thor?"

"The Earth can’t keep turning without you, can it?"

Peter remembered how he had nearly been defeated by the orbital weapon during the weapons test. His face flushed from green to red, and he stammered without being able to say anything.

At the time, Nick Fury had deliberately meant to knock some sense into him, hoping Peter would develop a healthy respect for human weapons and show some restraint in his actions. Given the circumstances then, the effect had been excellent. But in the current situation, it had all turned into the opposite effect.

"I… This disciple wasn’t saying I had great power. I just wanted to do my part."

"Your way of doing your part is to egg your master on to fight Magneto to the death?"

"No, this disciple…"

Peter was momentarily speechless, because no matter how nice S.H.I.E.L.D. made it sound, their true intention was to have Zhan Liu risk his life against Magneto.

One should not impose on others what one did not desire for oneself. Peter was afraid of death himself, so he could no longer bring himself to ask someone else to risk their life.

"Did S.H.I.E.L.D. tell you why they aren’t sending their own powerful fighters into battle, but are instead sending a child like you to the battlefield?"

"Your master might as well tell you this. S.H.I.E.L.D. has an expert called Captain Marvel. I fought her before, and she was quite powerful. It was only after fighting her that I advanced from the Nine Heavens all the way to the Twenty-Five Heavens."

"Now guess why S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t letting her step forward, but is instead having you urge me to fight?"

Zhan Liu deliberately wanted Peter to understand these dark things. He did not expect to make him mature all at once, but he could at least give him some warning beforehand.

He was looking forward to the day Peter reached the Tenth Heaven of Magnetic Field Rotation. It would certainly be spectacular then. He hoped Peter could withstand it!

Peter froze, because he had never heard of that name.

Peter was a top student as well, and absolutely not a fool. The reason Nick Fury and the others had been able to manipulate him so easily was entirely because he lacked experience.

He did not think his master was lying to him. After all, someone who treated human lives like weeds had no reason to lie to him, and a lie like that could be exposed with a single phone call.

As long as Zhan Liu insisted on not joining the battle, no one could do anything.

The reason Nick Fury had sent Peter to try was merely that he was treating a dead horse as a live one and testing his luck. What if an emotional appeal worked?

"Maybe… maybe Captain Marvel has already gone to face the enemy!" Peter’s words were utterly lacking in confidence.

"Then call Nick Fury and ask him where Carol Danvers is now."

Peter picked up his phone, hesitated, and remained unable to dial for a long while.

"How about this? Tell Nick Fury that if Captain Marvel dies in battle, I’ll go fight Magneto."

Perfect. He could let Captain Marvel go and test Magneto’s strength, using her as a sacrifice to help him mature. After that, it would be about time to reap the harvest.

That sentence finally became the last straw that broke the camel’s back, and Peter called Nick Fury.

"Director Fury, I want to ask you something. Does S.H.I.E.L.D. have someone called Captain Marvel?"

"…" The moment Nick Fury heard that, he knew something had gone wrong.

But he did not know what Zhan Liu had said to Peter, so he did not dare lie. He could only honestly admit, "There is indeed a Captain Marvel, but she’s usually in space. She has received the message and is currently on her way back."

"In space?" Peter was instantly stunned.

"That’s right. She… maintains peace in the universe." Nick Fury found it somewhat difficult to say, but to prevent Peter from misunderstanding, he had to make this clear.

Peter immediately felt that everything he had done before was pointless. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s superhero was maintaining peace in the universe, so how could this tiny crisis on Earth possibly trouble them?

What was the point of running around and keeping himself busy here?

Peter’s silence made Nick Fury sense that something was wrong, so he hurriedly explained:

"Peter, Captain Marvel’s situation is rather special. She used to be a super-soldier in the Kree Empire, one of the Three Great Cosmic Empires. She has many friends in space, so she doesn’t stay on Earth permanently. Earth’s safety can only be protected by us Earthlings."

"…All right, I understand. Director Fury, my master said that if Captain Marvel dies in battle, he’ll go fight Magneto. That’s all." After saying that, Peter hung up.

The moment Nick Fury heard the dead tone, his heart jolted, and he had a bad feeling. Something had probably gone wrong on Peter’s end.

But he had no time to worry about Peter anymore. He quickly took out his pager and sent Captain Marvel another message, asking her to come back once again.

Originally, he had not planned to call Captain Marvel back. The previous incident had already proven that Captain Marvel and Zhan Liu were roughly equal in strength, and there was also the even more unfathomable Sorcerer Supreme lurking in the shadows. So he was not worried that Magneto could truly kill all of humanity.

Even the most secluded hermit would certainly not stand by in the face of an apocalypse. Perhaps they could even use this opportunity to probe the Sorcerer Supreme’s true strength.

If things really came to that, he had already made a plan to lure Magneto toward Zhan Liu.

If there was anyone in this world who understood the power of Magnetic Field Rotation best, there was no doubt it had to be this otherworlder!

And based on Natasha’s observations, although Magneto’s realm was higher, she had determined that once they truly fought, he definitely would not be Zhan Liu’s match.

But now that Zhan Liu had made it clear he intended to stand by and watch, Nick Fury had no choice but to call Captain Marvel back to hold the fort.

Otherwise, if nearly all the Federation’s people died before Zhan Liu took action and killed Magneto, it would be too late for anything.

Since Captain Marvel had been able to beat Zhan Liu so badly last time, she should be able to deal with Magneto this time too, right?