Surrender, Kingpin

As he unleashed the Iron Torrent, Magneto secretly controlled nine alloy spikes and sank them into the ground, preparing to ambush Wang Bert.

Against someone with Teleportation, surprise was the only option.

Facing the Iron Torrent, Wang Bert did not teleport away. Instead, he drew a circle before him. The Iron Torrent flew into the circle and vanished one piece after another. Then, it emerged from behind Magneto and shot densely toward him.

Magneto was startled and hurriedly pressed both hands downward. The Iron Torrent changed direction and slammed into the ground with a series of bangs, kicking up massive clouds of dust.

Taking advantage of the moment, Wang Bert drew a square before him. Then he clapped his hands, and the square disappeared.

Magneto had just dealt with the Iron Torrent and had not even had time to catch his breath when everything around him suddenly went dark. What shocked him even more was that he could no longer sense the metal around him.

"What’s going on?"

After thinking for a moment, Magneto controlled the steel beneath his feet and flew upward. Yet no matter how high he flew, the surroundings remained pitch-black. Even a seasoned veteran like him could not help feeling uneasy.

In the real world, Wang Bert flipped his hand, and a black cube appeared in his palm, slowly rotating.

Quicksilver asked worriedly, "Iron Man, where did you send the old man?"

"Obviously, in here."

Wang Bert lowered his head and asked the cube, "Old Magneto, had enough yet?"

Inside the cube, Magneto suddenly saw a giant glowing head appear in the sky and ask him, "Old Magneto, had enough yet?"

Magneto stopped flying and asked in a deep voice, "Iron Man, what kind of method is this?"

"Putting Mount Sumeru in a Mustard Seed. Simply put, I trapped you in a small space."

Wang Bert said, "Unless I allow it, you will never get out."

Magneto was utterly stunned. "You can even do something like this?"

"Why not? I am the master of space."

Wang Bert smiled. As his mastery of the Mutant Source deepened, his strength grew ever greater. Once he fully mastered the Mutant Source, he would become a god—a mutant ancient god.

Magneto sighed. "Everyone underestimated you, Iron Man. Your greatest strength is yourself, not the Iron Man Armor."

"The Iron Man Armor is merely an external tool. Magneto, will you surrender?"

As Wang Bert spoke, the surrounding space pressed toward Magneto like walls. Magneto’s expression changed, and he said decisively, "I surrender. The Mutant Brotherhood is yours."

Magneto was not afraid of death, but his great undertaking remained unfinished. He could not die yet.

"Very good."

Wang Bert nodded in satisfaction and tossed a bracelet into the space. "Put it on."

Magneto caught the bracelet and asked, "What is this?"

"It was originally based on the Mutant Shackles developed by Stryker. Once worn, it prevents you from using mutant abilities."

Wang Bert stopped the advancing walls and continued, "After I got it, I modified it into a bracelet. Besides its original function, it also has spatial capabilities. With a single thought, I can send you into outer space."

"As the Mutant Savior, you actually research things that harm mutants?"

As Magneto put on the bracelet, he said disdainfully, "You should destroy all such things."

"Why destroy something so useful?"

Wang Bert said, "Unfortunately, these bracelets cost too much to manufacture and cannot be widely distributed. Mutant Poison is still more economical."

Magneto was speechless. "Mutant Poison? Are you really the Mutant Savior?"

"Of course I am. The whole world recognizes it."

Wang Bert smiled and tossed the cube in his hand onto the ground. A flash of spatial light appeared, and Magneto abruptly emerged.

Quicksilver hurried over to support Magneto, but Magneto shoved him away. This unfilial brat. Who asked you to support me? Professor said happily, "Erik, you will definitely be satisfied with the resort villa I found."

Magneto snorted. "You do not have to pay for that resort villa. Make Pietro pay."

"Why?"

Quicksilver said indignantly. His ability to make money was, uh, practically zero—he had always lived by stealing and mooching off his parents. In any case, he was fast enough that no one could catch him.

"Because you are my son, and because you screwed me over. Any questions?"

Magneto roared, "Pietro, from now on, I officially pass the position of Brotherhood leader to you. You must ensure that every mutant lives well. If they lack money, you must give them money. If anything happens to them, such as injuries, you must subsidize their medical expenses."

"Huh?"

Quicksilver was dumbfounded. He hurriedly said, "Why am I responsible for all that?"

"Because you led them into surrendering to the government. You must take responsibility to the end."

Magneto sneered. "Did you think being a leader was so easy?"

Quicksilver blinked, raised his hand, and asked, "Can we pick someone else?"

"Damn it."

Domino and the others could not help covering their faces. Fortunately, they had never expected much from this guy, or he really would have driven them mad.

Magneto felt humiliated as well. He had actually been pushed from power by someone like this? Even more depressing, this guy was his son. Come to think of it, we never did a DNA test. Should we get one? "From now on, the Mutant Brotherhood will be renamed the Mutant Mutual Aid Society, complementing the Mutant Affairs Department."

Wang Bert smiled. "As for funding, it will come from membership fees and donations. Pietro, you will carry a heavy burden from now on, so work hard."

"Mutant Mutual Aid Society?"

Quicksilver scratched his head and said, "I think we should still pick someone else. Mystique has plenty of experience with this sort of thing. We should bring her in as president."

Magneto very much wanted to smack Quicksilver to death. He was still waiting for Mystique to rescue him.

"That is your business. Discuss it among yourselves."

Wang Bert turned to Toad and the others and asked, "Will you surrender? If not, I will lock you up with Hydro, Shadow, and the others from the Hellfire Club."

"We will not surrender. We have only one leader, and that is Magneto, Erik."

Toad glanced at Pietro and said disdainfully, "What right does someone like Pietro have to lead us?"

The others nodded as well. Wang Bert said, "In that case, welcome to the private prison under Rebirth Group."

Toad and the others snorted, with no intention of begging for mercy. Magneto sighed but said nothing. He knew very well that Iron Man would not let Toad and the others be imprisoned with him.

"Quicksilver, integrate the Brotherhood as soon as possible. In a few days, I will have something for you to do. As long as you complete it, you can clear your names."

Wang Bert said, "Anyone unwilling to surrender will be sent to prison for labor reform."

Quicksilver nodded. "All right, I can handle that."

Domino added, "I will help him."

"Very good."

Wang Bert nodded in satisfaction. Everything was going smoothly. At that moment, Magneto hesitated before asking, "Iron Man, do I really have another daughter?"

Wang Bert smiled. "You do. She has the same ability as you."

"The same ability as me?"

Magneto’s eyes lit up. Thinking of something, he asked, "She will not screw me over like Quicksilver, right?"

Quicksilver was quite dissatisfied. "Old man!"

"Probably not?"

Wang Bert replied guiltily. She might be even worse.

"You have both a son and a daughter, Erik. That is a good thing."

Professor smiled. "Once this is over, I will go find your daughter with you. Bert, no problem?"

Wang Bert smiled. "No problem. Magneto, I will keep watching you."

Magneto snorted and could not be bothered to respond. Wang Bert shrugged and said to the mutants, "Everything I promised you will be fulfilled. Before long, you will be able to return to normal lives."

"Long live Iron Man!"

The mutants were stunned at first, then they burst into cheers. Magneto was deeply displeased and cursed them as ungrateful wretches in his heart.

"Erik, our era has passed."

Professor smiled. "It is time for us to retire. The future belongs to Iron Man."

Magneto stubbornly said, "I lost this time, but I will not retire. I will rise again and lead mutants in resisting humanity."

Professor smiled. "It seems my retirement life may turn out rather colorful."

"The Mutant Brotherhood has officially come to an end. Oh, there is still Mystique to deal with. We cannot let her stir up trouble, or it will be a real headache."

Wang Bert thought to himself. Just then, he sensed something and looked south. Two people he had specially marked had died.

Half an hour later, in a certain villa, Kingpin—the underground emperor of New York, a man feared by all—knelt before two corpses and wept bitterly.

The identities of the two corpses that could make Kingpin grieve so deeply were obvious—his wife and son.

Though Kingpin had done everything he could to protect his wife and child, the gang life was destined to be a road of no return. Their enemies had eventually found them, and they died tragically in their own home.

"What is the point of me living when you are both dead?"

Kingpin gave a bitter laugh. At that moment, he had the urge to kill himself. Though he was a villain, he cared about family more than anyone.

However, Kingpin quickly abandoned that thought. He had not taken revenge yet, so how could he die? Even if he truly had to die, he would first kill every single one of his enemies.

"Even if I have to turn this whole world upside down, I will avenge you."

Kingpin gritted his teeth. At that moment, a voice rang out in his mind. "I can help you resurrect them."

Ignoring everything else, Kingpin hurriedly asked, "You can resurrect my wife and son?"

"That is not difficult for me."

Original Sin said, "Kingpin, as long as you help me destroy this world, I will resurrect your wife and son."

Kingpin suddenly realized something. "You are the Doomsday Master?"

Original Sin laughed loudly. "That is right. I am the Doomsday Master. I will destroy this false world. I will destroy all humanity."

Kingpin fell silent for a while, then climbed to his feet and said, "As long as my wife and son can be resurrected, I am willing to do anything, including destroying the world."

To Kingpin, his family mattered more than this world.

"Very good. From this moment on, you are my emissary, Gluttony."

Original Sin laughed again. Countless strands of Black Qi surged from the void and entered Kingpin’s body. Kingpin’s massive body rapidly swelled, even bursting apart his black suit.

"So this is power? If I had possessed this power before, my wife and son would never have died."

Kingpin roared and smashed both fists into the floor. The floor shattered with a crash, and the entire house shook violently. A few breaths later, the house collapsed with a thunderous boom, burying Kingpin beneath it.

Original Sin was speechless. How could an underground emperor be this brainless? He buried himself?

A moment later, Kingpin hurled the ceiling away and rose from the ruins. As he returned to his normal size, he asked, "Doomsday Master, what are your orders?"

"Very simple. Destroy New York."

Original Sin said, "On Election Day, mobilize every gang in New York to commit arson, sabotage, and murder. I want New York to be as chaotic as possible."

Kingpin said, "Doomsday Master, Iron Man is in New York. If we make such a huge mess, he will definitely come out to stop us."

"That is exactly what I want—for him to come out and stop it."

Original Sin did not elaborate. It said, "Gluttony, do not ask so many questions. Just do as instructed. Rest assured, once you succeed, I will resurrect your wife and son."

Kingpin fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "All right."

Original Sin left in satisfaction. Kingpin looked at the corpses of his wife and son amid the rubble, a trace of longing flashing through his eyes. Yet he did not dig them out. Instead, he leaped from the ruins, got into a car, and drove away.

The corpses did not matter. What mattered was resurrecting them.

"The Seven Deadly Sins are assembled!"

After Kingpin left, Wang Bert’s figure emerged from the void. Looking at the two corpses in the ruins, he could not help shaking his head.

"No matter which world it is, Kingpin always gets his wife and child killed. Does that make him a Star of Solitude?"

Wang Bert grumbled inwardly. After hesitating for a moment, he raised his right hand. The Time Watch on it gradually lit up, then activated and carried him back three months.

That was right, three months ago rather than thirty minutes ago. Since he was traveling through time anyway, why not go back a few more months? He was always short on time.

"Three months is enough for me to analyze Franklin’s time Mutant Gene. After all, I already have a profound understanding of time itself. What I lack is only the time gene."

Wang Bert shook his head and hid in an uninhabited mountain range to conduct his research in silence.

As long as he did not come into contact with anyone, he would not interfere with the future and create trouble.

Three months later, when Kingpin’s wife and son were being pursued by assassins and their bodyguards died one after another, Wang Bert suddenly appeared in a spatial layer above the villa and silently watched below.

Over those three months, Wang Bert had gained enormously. Not only had he successfully mastered the time Mutant Gene, he had also pushed his mastery of the Mutant Source to twenty percent. His strength had increased by an unknown amount compared to before.

More importantly, Wang Bert had successfully devised a way to deal with Original Sin. It was time for it to settle down.

One minute later, Kingpin’s wife and son were brutally killed by the assassins. Wang Bert snapped his fingers, and their souls flew into his hand. Then he used the Soul Secret Technique to forge traces showing that their souls had already dissipated.

After doing this, Wang Bert teleported to Kingpin’s building. Kingpin still did not know that his wife and son were dead and was preparing to sell the weapons he had seized back to others.

"Original Sin is watching Kingpin. It seems it foresaw this event."

Wang Bert snorted inwardly and waved his hand, constructing a Time Loop containing only himself and Kingpin.

Original Sin could not detect this Time Loop because, from its perspective, Kingpin’s time remained continuous—it was merely a wisp of consciousness, and its senses were limited.