After the Battle of New York, Corin handed the Mind Scepter over to S.H.I.E.L.D.
That thing was too hot to handle. He could not sell it, and keeping it would only bring trouble, so he chose out of sight, out of mind.
But he knew that something like an Infinity Stone would stir up bloodshed no matter where it was. So after coming back, he told Alyssa to keep an eye on it for him.
He had long known that the Hydra bunch would not behave. He just did not expect them to move the Mind Scepter so quickly.
"Looks like another bunch of people are about to become test subjects."
In his mind appeared the figures of a brother and sister.
"Keep watching. If anything changes, let me know."
"Got it~"
Alyssa had not yet had her fill of swimming in the ocean of classified information. She happily ran to the computer to keep playing with it.
From time to time she let out surprised exclamations.
"Ah! So that's how it is!"
Corin returned to his room. Although there were no windows here, the ventilation was good and it did not feel stuffy at all.
There were still some things he had not sorted out, so he continued thinking.
The new Black Emperor talent was undoubtedly powerful. He had only wanted to dry the water off his body, yet he destroyed the whole room.
If he released energy at full power, the destruction would probably be unimaginable.
"Until I get the hang of it, I'd better just use a towel."
Corin also wanted to be like those cultivators in xianxia novels, just think about it and have all the water and dirt on his body vanish, 'Looks like I still needed practice.'
[Balance: 77.1 Bn]
There was actually another talent he had been thinking about constantly, Immortality.
He had never expected that the same guy who once could only sigh at a fifty-billion price tag would now be spending hundreds of billions without blinking.
"Upgrade!"
[-5 billion! Talent upgrade successful! Account balance: 72.1 billion USD]
"....."
After upgrading the talent, Corin focused and sensed changes in his body, but there was no reaction at all.
"This?"
Back when he first upgraded this talent, he had truly suffered. The kind of pain that seemed to come from his soul had almost made him unable to breathe.
Who would have thought that upgrading it again would not bring even the slightest sensation.
"Could it be fake?"
At this moment, Corin could not help but question what exactly Immortality meant.
After waiting for a long time with no feeling, he opened the system interface and checked the talent description.
[You have forever escaped Death's pursuit, but that is all.]
Just one sentence.
"What does that mean?"
'Could it be understood like this: I cannot die, but if I mess up, I will end up in a fate worse than death, right?'
Corin boldly imagined a scene. He was stranded in the vast universe, energy depleted, unable to save himself, even restrained by an enemy.
What awaited him would be endless hunger and loneliness, yet he still would not die.
Or maybe he would just fall into sleep. Close his eyes, enter power-saving mode.
Then one day, by chance, absorb some energy and wake up again?
How was that any different from those old vampires turning themselves into dried meat and hanging there for hundreds of years?
'Damn! That is a straight bad ending!'
'No experience value at all!'
'But looking at it from a brighter angle, doesn't that mean no matter how much energy I absorb, I will not explode from overload?'
'With Immortality backing me up, bring on the energy!'
Even if overloaded, he could keep overloading endlessly.
After the energy bar passed 100%, there could be 1000%, even more…
"Looks like the Black Emperor's energy absorption paired with Immortality is the true complete form."
Fortunately, all these talents now belonged to Corin.
"Phew~"
He let out a long breath. For the first time, he truly felt a bit of confidence.
His mindset had also subtly changed.
Although he still chased money, that lingering sense of crisis that had always hung over him was mostly gone.
At least now, he would not be easily killed by ordinary opponents.
Thinking of this, that brother and sister pair appeared in his mind again, mainly the sister.
"If anyone can pose a threat to me, she definitely counts as one."
That was also one of the reasons he had Alyssa keep an eye on the Mind Scepter.
Wanda Maximoff, the future Scarlet Witch. He needed to find a chance to intervene. Otherwise, once she lost control, big trouble would follow.
Hydra was using the Mind Scepter for experiments. The siblings were the test subjects.
"I need to find time to go there."
———
[Thor]
In the rain, a flash of bright light streaked down as Thor once again arrived on Earth.
This time, he came secretly.
Because Heimdall had told him that Jane had disappeared, and that made Thor anxious.
But the moment Thor landed on Earth, he saw Jane not far away.
His heart immediately settled.
Jane did not treat Thor as an outsider at all. She went up and slapped him hard, saying she was checking whether she was dreaming.
Thor, however, was surprised to find that although Jane was not holding an umbrella, there were no raindrops on her at all.
Smack!
Another loud slap.
"Where have you been?"
Thor could only patiently explain. After all, putting down rebellions was not the kind of reason most people would object to. Jane did not either.
"Well, that's not a bad excuse…"
At that moment, all fear and unease vanished, leaving only deep longing and love between them.
Just then, the police came over to take Jane away, saying she and the others had trespassed on private property.
But when a policeman's hand approached Jane's arm, a burst of red energy shot out from her body, sending all the nearby officers flying.
Seeing this, Thor realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately took Jane back to Asgard.
A blazing white beam of light carried the two of them into the sky.
Darcy unconsciously walked toward the runes left on the ground. Watching the direction they disappeared, she stood there with her mouth wide open.
"Oh! Shit!"
Something that cool happening right in front of her. Darcy wanted to try it too.
———
[Asgard]
Odin was displeased that Thor had brought a mortal to Asgard on his own initiative, but the important matter now was figuring out what had happened to Jane.
Asgard's royal physician performed all kinds of procedures on Jane. The special effects were dazzling, the budget clearly burning, yet they still could not find out what was wrong with her body.
At the critical moment, the well-informed Odin revealed the truth.
"Jane has been invaded by the Aether."
Odin brought them to his study and began explaining the story of the Aether.
———
[Corin]
The heavy rain did not last long. By noon, it turned into cloudy skies.
Corin wore a well-fitted suit. Beside him stood Alyssa in a light formal dress.
They knocked on Gwen's door.
When Alyssa learned that Corin was taking her to a family gathering, she felt both curious and excited.
After traveling alone for so long, she actually missed this kind of reunion feeling once in a while.
When Alyssa had changed more than ten outfits and was still not satisfied, at Corin's suggestion, she finally changed back into the first one.
The key was showing respect.
Gwen's mother, Helen Stacy, and her husband George prepared a large table of rich lunch dishes. Peter and Aunt May were also invited.
When Corin and Alyssa appeared in front of everyone, no one showed exaggerated excitement just because he had helped save New York. Instead, they warmly welcomed the two into the living room like old friends.
Gwen showed great interest in Alyssa's makeup.
Peter wanted to join the men's conversation, but Aunt May arranged for him to help in the kitchen.
George, meanwhile, secretly took out a cigarette while chatting with Corin on the rooftop.
"Give me one too, Captain."
When you are a guest, you follow the host. A house full of women and kids, and the man of the house, in a good mood, wants a smoke.
He had already hidden on the rooftop. If Corin did not join him, would that not make George look too pitiful?
Click!
"Haaah!"
After lighting Corin's cigarette, George, who had been sneaking around like he was doing something wrong, instantly relaxed.
The two looked at each other and shared a smile. The kind that needed no explanation.
"Hey! Gwen, Peter~ Sorry I'm late!"
At that moment, a teenage voice came from the doorway.
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