Stalling

The organizer was furious. He roared at the waiter, "You actually dared to kidnap us? Do you know who we are? If anything happens to anyone here, New York will be shaken to its core!"

"Stupid mortals."

The waiter sneered and raised his hand, firing a shot into the organizer’s chest. The organizer stared at his shirt rapidly turning red, then collapsed with utter disbelief on his face.

"Ah!"

The guests screamed and desperately backed away. If the other side dared to kill the organizer, they would definitely dare to kill them too. This was bad.

"Notify the tv station and have them send someone to interview me."

The waiter ordered his men, "I want to discuss eating crabs with them. Humans are far too cruel. They actually boil crabs alive. I demand legislation to protect crabs’ rights. Crabs must be killed before they are cooked."

Both the mercenaries and the guests stared blankly at the waiter. You kidnapped the most powerful group of people in New York just to seek justice for crabs? Was there something wrong with your brain? They were just crabs! Besides, what was the difference between boiling them alive and boiling them after they were dead? They would die either way. The mercenaries were starting to regret taking this job. If word got out, they would be laughed to death. Before long, the tv station arrived. When viewers heard the waiter’s demands, they could not help turning to their companions and asking, "Is today April Fools’ Day?"

"Probably."

The companion nodded. At that moment, the waiter grabbed a blond middle-aged man and shot him in the head. Blood splattered everywhere.

Then the waiter shouted, "The White House must meet my demands immediately. Otherwise, I’ll kill a hostage every ten minutes."

The viewers were dumbfounded. They finally understood that today was not April Fools’ Day.

The Director stared at the waiter’s crazed face, his expression ugly to the extreme. The other side was obviously insane. They had to deal with him immediately, or the guests would be in grave danger.

If all these guests died, not only the Director and the mayor, but even the president would be impeached.

Officer George said to the Director, "Director, I’ll lead a SWAT team inside. The kidnappers aren’t professionals. I’m confident I can take them down."

"No. It’s not that I don’t trust your abilities, but we need a foolproof method. Not a single person inside can die."

The Director shook his head. "Call Iron Man and Psylocke. Have them come help."

Officer George silently stepped back. He could not help thinking of those Firefighters. Would the police be replaced one day too?

After receiving the news, Psylocke immediately rushed toward the Hilton Hotel. As for Wang Bert, he was somewhat surprised. The timing was far too coincidental.

"A diversion?"

Wang Bert narrowed his eyes slightly. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "I’ll be there right away."

The Director said, "Mr. Wang, if possible, please get here as quickly as you can. Nothing can happen to those hostages again."

"Right away."

Wang Bert put down the phone and said to Wade, "Wade, I have to go to the Hilton Hotel. I’m leaving this place under your command. I’ll be back as soon as possible."

"BOSS, leave it to me. I guarantee I won’t let you down."

Wade spoke with complete confidence. With Deadpool around, he feared no one.

"Good."

Wang Bert did not waste any more words. He teleported to the Hilton Hotel’s command room. The Director was overjoyed when he saw him and hurried forward to greet him.

Wang Bert got straight to the point. "What’s the situation? How many thugs are there?"

Officer George reported, "Based on what we’ve investigated, there are thirteen kidnappers in total. They’ve gathered the guests in the lobby but haven’t tied them up. Also, they haven’t planted any bombs. They’re just holding the guests and the doors at gunpoint."

That was why Officer George had said earlier that the thugs were unprofessional.

Wang Bert looked at the waiter’s photo on the screen and frowned. "This is a little troublesome."

Officer George was taken aback. "Troublesome? Mr. Wang, these thugs aren’t professional at all. With your abilities, dealing with them should be easy, shouldn’t it?"

"The mark on that waiter’s face is a Devil Mark. That means he’s connected to the Behind-the-Scenes Manipulator."

Wang Bert said, "Anything connected to the Behind-the-Scenes Manipulator is troublesome."

Officer George and the Director both sucked in a cold breath. "The one behind Senator Cabo and Major Geli?"

"Yes."

Wang Bert said, "Officer George, have everyone in the surrounding area withdraw. I’ll go meet him. Also, be ready. The moment there’s an opportunity, go in and rescue the guests."

"Understood."

The Director and Officer George nodded at the same time. Then, Wang Bert walked to the hotel entrance and shouted through the glass doors at the waiter inside, "Hello, I’m Iron Man Bert Wang. I’d like to talk to you about crabs."

"Iron Man is here?"

The guests were especially excited. Iron Man had arrived—they were saved.

The waiter was excited as well. Just as the High Priest had predicted, Iron Man had come. He walked to the front and shouted, "Bert Wang, don’t use your superpowers. Otherwise, all the guests will die."

As the waiter spoke, a greed-filled eye appeared on his forehead and on the foreheads of every guest. The guests, who had been wildly excited moments ago, suddenly became blank-faced and stood there foolishly.

Eyes appeared not only on the guests’ foreheads, but on the foreheads of the masked thugs as well—the thugs who would do anything for money had completely become puppets.

I knew there would be some trick.

Wang Bert snorted inwardly and lowered his raised hand. Seeing his movement, the waiter said smugly, "Iron Man, if I leave this place, they’ll die. If I lose consciousness, they’ll die too. If my heart stops beating, they’ll die all the same."

The police and viewers frowned together. This was far too terrible. Could Iron Man handle it?

"Probably not. The kidnappers’ abilities are too bizarre."

Many people secretly shook their heads. America’s three major indices fell rapidly at the same time. Clearly, the market did not believe Iron Man could save those guests.

"Is your demand really about crabs?"

Wang Bert asked, "I sensed the same aura from you that Senator Cabo and Major Geli had. If I’m not mistaken, you’re connected to that Behind-the-Scenes Manipulator who can’t stand the light, aren’t you?"

"Shut up! How dare you blaspheme My God?"

The waiter flew into a rage. "You can’t see My God because you are too lowly. My God will cleanse this world. When that time comes, everyone will die. Only we will transcend."

The viewers erupted in an uproar. This matter was actually connected to the Behind-the-Scenes Manipulator? No wonder the waiter’s demands were so strange—it had only been a cover.

The waiter came to his senses. He took a deep breath and said according to the plan, "Iron Man, you’re a Super Hero, right?"

Wang Bert said, "Not quite. Actually, I’m a Super Hero boss."

The waiter was speechless. Why wouldn’t this guy follow the script? He continued, "Super Heroes must save civilians. Since that’s the case, Iron Man, trade your life for theirs. You die, they live. You live, they die. You have five minutes to consider."

"Damn it, that’s too despicable."

The viewers could not help cursing loudly. He actually wanted Iron Man to kill himself?

Wang Bert looked at the waiter and asked, "I was your target from the beginning, wasn’t I?"

The waiter did not answer. Wang Bert did not care and continued, "The person behind you wants to destroy New York, but he’s worried I’ll get in the way. So he had you kidnap these guests and use them to force me to commit suicide, right?"

The waiter pretended to look grim, but he sneered inwardly—he had never expected Iron Man to kill himself. Everything he had done was meant to keep Iron Man here.

Once the High Priest breached the Recycling Plant, even Bert Wang would be unable to stop them from destroying New York.

Wang Bert seemed to realize something and spoke again. "No, it wouldn’t be so easy to make me kill myself. Your goal should be to hold me here so I can’t ruin your plans, right?"

The waiter was startled, then sneered. "Bert Wang, stop talking nonsense. Kill yourself now, or they’ll all die."

"If you dare kill any one of them, I’ll leave immediately."

Wang Bert said, "One death and a hundred deaths make no difference to me."

The waiter fell silent. He said, "As long as you don’t leave, they won’t die."

The situation immediately reached a stalemate. Although Wang Bert had seen through their purpose, there were too many guests inside. He could not possibly leave and could only remain where he was—on the surface.

What a joke. If Wang Bert himself had not been willing, how could such a petty trick have troubled him?

Ever heard of Money Power? He would not even need a million dollars to resolve this easily.

Wang Bert was deliberately maintaining the stalemate so that the person behind the waiter would reveal himself. Then, he would wipe them all out in one stroke.

Also, it was worth mentioning that only a small number of high-ranking humans knew Wang Bert possessed Money Power. Ordinary people did not know, and neither did High Priest Greed.

Wang Bert was not in a hurry, but the viewers were. The police station’s phones were instantly flooded with calls. Countless citizens demanded that Iron Man leave the hotel, find the Behind-the-Scenes Manipulator, and protect New York.

The lives of those wealthy people were lives, but the lives of New York’s citizens were lives too!

When the Director heard his subordinates’ report, he could not help cursing. Could that damned Behind-the-Scenes Manipulator not take a few days off? This was already the third time. What kind of final boss worked this hard? It was not like anyone was paying him a salary.

"Order all police officers to search the entire city for the waiter’s accomplices. Also, tell Psylocke not to reveal herself and to remain on standby nearby."

After thinking for a moment, the Director ordered, "No matter what, we can’t let those bastards destroy New York."

"Yes, Director." The subordinate immediately carried out the order.

Officer George asked, "Director, should we inform Iron Man?"

"Let’s find the waiter’s accomplices first. Iron Man can teleport, so he can get there immediately."

The Director said, "Telling him now won’t help, and neither we nor he can bear the blame for this."

Officer George sighed. In the face of something like this, ordinary police officers were truly powerless. This world had changed without anyone noticing.

At the same time, on a mountain in the outskirts of New York, Greed looked out at the distant Recycling Plant and said, "They made preparations in advance. It seems we alerted them last time."

The giant Wrath said impatiently, "So what if they prepared? They can’t stop me."

"That’s true."

Greed smiled. "Iron Man has already been lured away and won’t return. Let’s move out, free the mutant prisoners, then lead them to bathe New York in blood."

"Let’s go."

Wrath did not waste words. He turned and strode down the mountain. He could not wait to resurrect his wife and children.

Once his wife and children were resurrected, Wrath would smash Greed’s head like a watermelon. He had never forgotten that score.

"Idiot."

Greed knew Wrath’s intentions perfectly well and smiled disdainfully. He turned to look in another direction—Cable was hiding there.

I’ll make use of him first. The Recycling Plant won’t be easy to take.

Greed turned and headed down the mountain. Then, more than a dozen Jeeps and Pickup Trucks roared at full speed toward the Recycling Plant.

"Wade, they’re here."

Inside the Recycling Plant, Clairvoyant shouted. Wade, hiding behind the wall, nodded and yelled, "Everyone, grab your weapons and prepare for battle! York, notify BOSS."

"Okay."

Vine York picked up his phone to make a call, only to discover there was no signal. He froze for a moment, then went to the office to use the landline, but the landline had malfunctioned too.

York walked out of the room and said to Wade, "Wade, the enemy has jammed communications."

Wade said, "That was expected. Don’t worry, Wolverine has a way to contact BOSS. If we can’t hold them off, he’ll call for help."

"That’s good."

Everyone sighed in relief. BOSS was their backbone. Without him here, they all felt uneasy.

Before long, the convoy appeared in everyone’s sight. Surprisingly, the leading Jeeps did not slow down. Instead, they accelerated toward the Recycling Plant’s gates and walls.

Each of these Jeeps had only one driver, and an eye had grown on every driver’s forehead. They were clearly puppets controlled by Greed.

"Blow them up! Cyclops, you too!"

Wade immediately shouted. Upon hearing the order, five guards promptly picked up Rocket Launchers, poked their heads out from behind the wall, and aimed at the Jeeps.

"My name is Cyclops, thank you."

Cyclops was somewhat dissatisfied. He hesitated, then asked, "Shouldn’t we ask questions first?"

The war between the Mutant Academy and the Mutant Brotherhood had been rather restrained, so Cyclops was used to offering courtesy before force and showing mercy. He had never experienced a war where Rocket Launchers were fired the moment they met.

No wonder BOSS calls them child soldiers.

Wade grumbled inwardly. Ignoring Cyclops, he led everyone in firing their Rocket Launchers. The next second, five rockets streaked toward the five leading Jeeps with long trails behind them.

"Pretty ruthless. They must be veterans."

Greed was somewhat surprised. He raised a hand and tossed an eye into the sky. Vast amounts of demonic energy poured from the eye, causing all five rockets to veer off course and explode beside the Jeeps with a series of booming blasts.

Immediately afterward, a Jeep slammed brutally into the gate with a thunderous crash. Surprisingly, although the gate caved in slightly, it did not fall and remained standing proudly.

Unlike the gate, the Jeep was crushed flat, and its driver died on the spot.

"Nice work."

Wade praised Iron Wall, the mutant behind the wall. "Iron Wall, well done."

"It’s what I should do."

The young Iron Wall smiled somewhat shyly. He could greatly enhance the defensive power of structures and redirect impacts into the ground, making him the ideal defender.

At this moment, the remaining Jeeps crashed into the walls as well. Boom, boom, boom! The walls shook violently, but showed no sign of collapsing.