The Only Two Variables Among 14,000,506 Outcomes

In the quiet bar, the lighting was dim and soft, retro decorative paintings hung on the walls, and a faint scent of alcohol lingered in the air.

Stephen Strange, who looked remarkably like Holmes, sat at the bar, his deep eyes filled with endless loneliness.

Running into Strange on the street before he became Doctor Strange was not really anything unusual for Stephen Fang.

Judging by how Uchiha Yu would encounter the Akatsuki the moment he left the village, and Main God Fang Yu would run into team battles whenever he reincarnated, Stephen Fang’s circumstances in the Marvel World could be considered a case of being sidelined.

Strange lifted his glass and drained the brandy in one gulp. The burning liquid slid down his throat, yet it seemed unable to dispel the gloom in his heart.

Stephen Fang, another member of the Stephen generation, sat beside him. Watching his actions, he frowned slightly and reminded him, "Hey, I’m not paying your bill."

Hearing that, Stephen Strange gave a bitter laugh and slowly shook his head, his voice low and hoarse. "I don’t care about that at all. If you want, order whatever you like. I can pay for it. Money? It’s useless to me now. Right now, I just want to know whether there really is a god in this world."

As he spoke, his eyes gradually reddened, and his emotions became somewhat agitated. "I used to be the best surgeon. My patients all praised me, saying that my arrival was God’s gift to the surgical field." His voice trembled slightly, as though recalling those glorious days. "But now, look at these hands of mine…"

Strange raised his hands. They trembled uncontrollably, and in order to lift his glass, he could only use his right hand to support his left wrist.

Stephen Fang wickedly wondered whether, with Strange’s hands injured to the point of numbness and lost sensation, it would feel like someone else’s hand was doing it for him when he rewarded himself.

"Forget being a doctor again." Strange had no idea what the guy in front of him was thinking and continued with a bitter smile. "Even living a normal life has become so difficult."

"I once thought I was invincible, but a car accident took everything from me. I sought treatment everywhere and tried every possible method, but nothing worked."

"Uh…" Stephen Fang lightly licked his lips. "At a time like this, based on our experience, we’d usually say, why not try Chinese medicine?"

"Chinese medicine?" Stephen Strange smiled bitterly. "Chinese medicine, witch doctors, even Indian Divine Doctors… I even smeared cow dung all over myself. I drank Ganges River water too. God! That was the Periodic Table! I had diarrhea for a full half month!"

The more Stephen Strange thought about it, the angrier he became. He slammed his glass against the bar twice, then, still unsatisfied, threw it to the floor.

"God! God!" Stephen Strange grabbed his unkempt hair and stomped the ground viciously several times.

Seeing the strange looks from everyone around him, Stephen Strange resumed his mechanical social mask and pursed his lips in apology to the crowd.

Seeing Doctor Strange like this, Stephen Fang felt that he was truly pitiful.

Yet it was precisely this obsession with restoring his hands that allowed him to reach Kamar-Taj, meet Gu, and learn magic.

"Sorry."

After apologizing to the people around him, Stephen Strange gave Stephen Fang a slight bow. "Actually, I don’t expect to restore my hands anymore. I just heard you shouting by the roadside earlier, and it reminded me of my own situation. Sorry, I’ll be leaving now."

Just as Stephen Strange was about to leave, Stephen Fang stepped forward and blocked his path.

"What if I told you that gods exist in this world?"

Stephen Strange wore a mocking expression and vented his drunken frustration. "If gods really exist, then tell one of them something for me. Beg him to let me die!"

The moment he finished speaking, Stephen Fang vanished right in front of him.

Strange instantly sobered up!

He rubbed his eyes, and after confirming that he was not seeing things, he anxiously looked around!

The god he had prayed to for months had appeared today!

And he had actually cursed him away with his own mouth!?

The future Doctor Strange looked anxious, yet failed to notice a nearly invisible string of words flash across his right arm.

v50!

That was a specially made Flying Thunder God Mark created by Uchiha Yu.

Stephen Fang: "As long as we keep the Stephen Strange line secured, finding Kamar-Taj will only be a matter of time!"

Bruce Yu: "Borrow more, borrow more! Just thinking about how the microloan company can’t collect international long-distance debts makes me want to fleece them even harder!"

At the border of the Land of Rain, a group of strange white figures hurried along a winding path.

Their steps were orderly, yet they carried an eerie air. Seen from above, they resembled a gigantic white python slithering across the earth.

This was the White Zetsu Army!

They were force-marching rapidly toward Konoha.

Ahead of the White Zetsu Army stood several upright ninjas clad in black cloaks embroidered with red flaming clouds. With cold gazes and the bearing of bosses, they were the Akatsuki, whose name struck fear throughout the ninja world!

This time, the Akatsuki had deployed in full force.

Their target was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha Village!

When the group reached several forks in the road, Deva Path Pain’s emotionless voice rang out. "Move in pairs. Sasori of the Red Sands and Hidan, you will take the lead and rendezvous with the Hidden Sand Puppet Force first."

Upon receiving the order, Hidan revealed his trademark crazed grin. With both hands clasped behind his head, he said carelessly, "Hehe, finally, something fun! War! Maybe it’ll let Lord Jashin have a proper feast."

Sasori of the Red Sands snorted coldly. His body, encased within Hiruko, shifted slightly as he answered in an icy voice, "Hmph. Don’t hold me back. I don’t want your stupidity to ruin everything."

Although Sasori also disliked Deidara, no comparison meant no harm. Hidan was purely a one-track idiot and had none of Deidara’s charm.

Unfortunately, Deidara had been captured during the Konoha Chunin Exam campaign, and no one even knew where he was being held now.

Hidan curled his lips, didn’t care at all about Sasori’s attitude. "Tch, you old timer, what do you know about fun? Once we get to the battlefield, watch me offer those enemies to Lord Jashin one by one."

The two bickered all the way and soon approached the Hidden Sand Puppet Force’s designated rendezvous point.

However, just as they were about to arrive, they suddenly noticed an abrupt forest ahead.

This forest was utterly out of place amid the surrounding desolation. The trees were tall and dense, their branches and leaves intertwined into a natural barrier. It looked pitch-black, as though countless people from Yuenan were hiding inside.

Hidan stopped, a puzzled expression appearing on his face. "What’s going on? This forest’s a little weird!"

Sasori of the Red Sands frowned and carefully observed the forest. His years of combat experience told him something was wrong. "Be careful. This forest appeared far too strangely. There may be a trap."

At the mention of a trap, Hidan became excited.

"A trap? What kind of trap could possibly stop me? No problem! Watch This Lord personally trigger it! There’s nothing under the heavens that can kill me!"

As he spoke, Hidan plunged headfirst into the forest.

Then, he regretted it.