You Seem to Think Too Highly of Yourself

"I said that?"

Old Wang, the nearest Storm Spirit, suddenly froze. Skye, why did that sound so wrong?

Old Wang had no time to think.

One Sonic Cannon was aimed at Skye, but another was trained on him—and it had already fired.

In an instant, an invisible shockwave swept toward Old Wang.

The lush green grass on the ground was sheared off, and huge amounts of dirt were thrown into the air. The Hydra agents standing between Old Wang and the Sonic Cannon were sent flying as if struck by Thor’s Hammer, at ten times the speed of a hundred-meter sprint. They crashed heavily dozens of meters away, vomiting blood, clearly no longer breathing.

And there was more than one.

To prevent Old Wang from dodging, the Sonic Cannon covered an enormous area. Seven or eight Hydra agents were caught in it, and none escaped.

The four Old Wangs had already spread out. The Sonic Cannons were targeting Earth Spirit and Storm Spirit.

Even Hulk had to deal with such tremendous force carefully. No matter how confident Old Wang was, he could not compare to Hulk in sheer strength, so there was no need to take it head-on.

Earth Spirit rolled across the ground as vast amounts of earth element condensed over his body, turning him into a massive boulder over three meters in diameter. He shifted slightly and barreled toward the other Hydra agents.

His already incredible speed became even faster with the shockwave’s help. Under Old Wang’s deliberate control, more than a dozen Hydra agents screamed and fled.

Unfortunately, they were not fast enough. Soon, they were crushed into meat patties.

On the other side, Storm Spirit suddenly raised a hand. A powerful hurricane appeared, resisting the shockwave while blowing nearby Hydra agents into the air.

"Jade Lightning!"

Jade-colored lightning appeared. Enhanced by Storm Spirit’s elemental physique, it was thick and long. Rather than attacking the Sonic Cannon, it struck the enemies operating it.

Those who were hit had their hair stand on end before rapidly turning black—blacker than Egghead.

Seeing that the Sonic Cannon had not been damaged, Old Wang sighed in relief.

This kind of custom high-tech weapon was not only far too expensive, but also difficult to sell. Hydra had kindly delivered two of them to him, so he could neither refuse them nor let them be damaged. Old Wang would remember this favor.

"In return, I’ll send you off to your next life!"

Wind and earth took the center, while water and fire flanked the sides.

Wherever Ember Spirit passed, only ashes remained.

A crimson ring of flames circled his body. No bullets or attacks could penetrate it. Anyone who tried to approach would be incinerated by heat far greater than a flamethrower’s, and even alloy weapons could not withstand it.

Even stranger, every few seconds, an afterimage appeared wherever Ember Spirit had passed. Though not as agile as Ember Spirit himself, it moved with him like a shadow and was just as difficult to deal with—an existence bullets could not destroy.

Water Spirit was gentler. In such a dry environment, he could not display much of his strength and could only attack using Monk’s skills.

Bullets passed straight through his body, and the holes they left instantly healed. He simply could not be killed.

For the first time in decades, fear suddenly surged through Whitehall’s heart.

Was this truly human power? Why did they look like the fire god, wind god, water god, and Mother Earth from mythological legends?

No.

They did not possess the world-destroying might described in those legends, but they were still terrifying beyond measure.

It’s time to retreat, Whitehall thought.

The SUV had been speeding away, putting more and more distance between itself and the battlefield. Nothing mattered more than his own safety.

This operation might have failed, but there would be another chance.

He simply had not expected all four Iron Fists to be real. It seemed the Darkhold’s power was even greater than he had imagined. Could it truly be connected to the legendary "Chthon"?

He gave Old Wang one deep look, then turned to Skye.

Her left leg bent forward at the knee while her right leg stretched straight back. With her head raised and chest out, she extended both arms and thrust out both palms. Invisible waves clashed with the Sonic Cannon, and every bullet flying toward her visibly slowed, unable to get close at all.

Skye seemed to stand at the center of a tornado, surrounded by a storm stirred up as shockwaves shook the air—a deserted zone.

Dozens of subordinates were hurled into the sky. Was the Obelisk really that powerful? It had given one person the ability to confront an elite force in such a short time?

The shockwaves affected everyone.

Even from far away, Whitehall felt dizzy. His lips trembled, and his heartbeat accelerated considerably. How could those closer to it possibly escape?

Their hearts pounded to the point of explosion.

This was practically a disaster!

Suddenly,

A deafening boom rang out.

The Sonic Cannon actually tipped over. Some of its components were damaged, and it stopped functioning.

The vehicle and cannon together weighed ten tons, yet they had been knocked over from more than a hundred meters away. That wave push was too damn powerful—how had she done it?

Fortunately, the SUV performed well. He had already successfully escaped the battlefield, and a helicopter was waiting in the distance. As long as he got into the air, he would have nothing to fear.

Watching the battlefield gradually vanish behind him, Whitehall felt both frustrated and excited.

He was not someone who could be defeated easily. He had survived forty-four years in prison, so what else did he have to fear?

No matter how powerful Immortal Iron Fist was, he was still too vulnerable before high technology. This time, he had to cooperate fully with Pierce and convince him to mobilize more resources.

General Ross’s Super Soldier Program was said to have achieved some results. Tony Stark seemed to be researching individual exoskeleton armor, and a company called Vanguard Technologies appeared to be producing physical enhancement agents similar to the Super Soldier Serum. There were many more things like that.

He would find a way to steal them or take them by force. That would be good.

The Cosmic Cube had been sitting in S.H.I.E.L.D. for so many years, yet they had failed to get anything out of it. If necessary, he could have Pierce help him. He could change his face and enter personally to study it.

Back then, Dr. Zola had used the Cosmic Cube to create many immensely powerful weapons, enough to kill Immortal Iron Fist.

If he could do it, so could I.

The SUV soon arrived beside the helicopter. Whitehall and Bakshi got out, taking more than twenty trusted followers aboard.

The helicopter took off, and Whitehall let out a long breath.

"Finally safe."

The tension in his nerves eased. He took a document from the briefcase beside him and began reading.

It was a document related to the Darkhold.

Everything he had seen today made him realize that the Darkhold was the most important and powerful thing. The Obelisk could not compare to it at all. It was his top priority.

As he read, Whitehall rubbed his neck. It kept feeling so cold.

Something was wrong.

It had not only become cold now. It had been cold the entire time.

It felt as though something had been watching him from behind, occasionally even blowing on his neck.

An invisible hand rested on his neck. That chilling cold made him certain of one thing:

There really was someone there—or perhaps a ghost.

Whitehall’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, but he quickly calmed down.

Remembering everything that had happened earlier, he understood. A voice devoid of emotion rang out. "Immortal Iron Fist? How long have you been watching?"

"About as long as you have," Old Wang’s voice replied.

"Fine, I surrender."

Whitehall remained extremely calm, even smiling. "You didn’t kill me because you need me, right? I can join The Laboratory and serve you. I can help you study the Darkhold, the Obelisk, and the Winter Soldier. You don’t need to follow Fury. With my help, one day you can devour S.H.I.E.L.D., even Hydra."

"Old man, you seem to think too highly of yourself."

Old Wang’s body quickly became solid. Before the others could fire, he eliminated all of them, including Bakshi.

Only Whitehall was left.

That put Whitehall even more at ease.

He understood very well how important a top scientist was. S.H.I.E.L.D. had imprisoned him for forty-four years and still could not bear to kill him. The person behind him would naturally be the same.

He understood even better that Hydra was not his faith. He merely intended to borrow Hydra’s strength to achieve his dream:

To pursue myths, dissect legends, transform himself, and rule humanity.

Perhaps he could borrow Immortal Iron Fist’s power.

Unfortunately, no matter what, he could never have imagined what awaited him.

"Go fly the helicopter. We’re returning to The Laboratory."

Old Wang said this, when his phone suddenly rang.

On the screen, a bouncing Egghead appeared.