The battle stopped as abruptly as it began. In the silent graveyard, only the heavy breathing of the three parties remained.
The Hellfire on Carter Slade slowly extinguished, and he reverted to the ordinary old gravedigger with a shovel. Just as he was about to speak, the loud roar of a quinjet engine came from the sky.
The jet hovered, its hatch opened, and a fully armed STRIKE Team filed out, led by Maria Hill. When she saw the chaotic battlefield and Captain America covered in wounds, her expression immediately darkened.
"Captain, you're injured! What happened here?" Hill strode forward, her sidearm held in a vigilant stance. "Where is the target?"
"It's a bit complicated…" Steve began.
Just then, an indescribable will descended. Time seemed to pause. Hill and her team froze in place, their expressions rigid, like a row of mannequins.
An elegant old man, impeccably dressed and leaning on a cane, stepped out of nothingness.
"Damn it! Russell! Open the Door!" Lin Huai's scalp tingled; he practically roared.
A familiar ring of sparks opened in response.
Lin Huai's heart sank, but a desperate smile appeared on his face. He grabbed Carter, who hadn't yet recovered, and with his other hand, pulled Steve, rushing into the portal as if his life depended on it.
"Old man, your property has been stolen! Go back and deal with your good-for-nothing son!" Lin Huai shouted at Mephisto. "As for the contract, don't even think about it! Let's go!"
The group tumbled and scrambled into the portal.
Unexpectedly, Mephisto didn't stop them. He merely watched the portal close with interest, his voice drifting out faintly:
"Boy, I'm really growing to like you. You can come to me with the contract anytime; a page in my ledger will always be reserved for you."
As his voice faded, the oppressive force that had frozen time vanished. Hill and her team regained their movement, but only saw a closed circle of fire and the elegantly smiling old man whose smile sent chills down one's spine... When Lin Huai's feet touched solid ground again, the biting cold wind and the smell of blood had been replaced by a refreshing tea fragrance.
In the courtyard, Sorcerer Supreme Gu Yi sat leisurely at a stone table, holding a cup of hot tea, with her characteristic, all-knowing smile.
"I hadn't been exploring other dimensions for long," Ancient One said softly, blowing on the tea leaves in her cup, her tone relaxed, "and you've already caused such a huge commotion on Earth."
"Big shot, we really didn't cause this!" Lin Huai quickly interjected, waving his hands frantically, trying to shift the blame. "I've figured it out: for some reason, this Planet just has such a strong gravitational pull. I suspect it's the same in some parallel World, with the strongest gangs in the entire Universe stationed on Earth, and aliens lining up like they're clocking in for work."
With that, Lin Huai showed a look of utter despair, spreading his hands to Ancient One: "Big shot, look... I don't want to work hard anymore (ಥ_ಥ). Why don't you just step in, package up all those monsters and Demons, and send them back home?"
Ancient One listened, put down her teacup, and smiled helplessly.
"I wish I could. But there is an existence that told me this matter must be resolved by you yourself." She added, "He also said that after you resolve this trouble, I should give you something."
With that, Ancient One flipped her delicate hand, and a silver box emitting a soft glow appeared in her hand. She gently opened the lid, and a scent of herbs mixed with mist wafted out.
Inside the box lay a translucent object, seemingly formed by living tree roots intertwined.
The True Root of the Mist Treant!
The main material for advancing to Sequence 7 Magician!
Seeing this item, Lin Huai's forced Joker smile finally broke.
"How do I feel... like I've been arranged by the 'Spectator'?" He couldn't help but mutter, "What exactly am I? I always feel like I'm acting in someone else's script..."
On the other side, Tony and Banner, who had just arrived from another portal, were completely captivated by the sight of Kamar-Taj.
"My goodness, Jarvis, can you scan the spatial curvature here?" Tony held up his latest model phone, frantically taking pictures of the corridors that twisted on their own in the air. "This doesn't conform to general relativity! Where does the energy come from?"
"Incredible!" Dr. Banner crouched beside a small pool suspended in mid-air, carefully poking the surface of the Water with his finger. "Its surface tension is hundreds of times that of ordinary water, and... it's circulating, a self-contained ecosystem!"
"Gentlemen, this way, please," the chubby Master Wong dutifully guided the two curious babies. "Don't touch the books that walk by themselves; they have bad tempers."
No sooner had Wong finished speaking than a heavy magic book extended two page-legs, kicked Tony's ankle, and then quickly ran off... In an elegant Zen room, a serious meeting was underway.
"Alright, gentlemen, the situation is clear," Steve began, his expression serious, full of a soldier's iron will. "Johnny has been captured and turned into an enemy weapon. They demand to exchange the contract, a condition we absolutely cannot accept. We cannot endanger thousands of people to save one."
"I agree with the Captain's point," Dr. Banner pushed up his black-rimmed glasses. "But not saving him isn't an option either. I don't think they care about the lives of ordinary people; after all, even U.S. capitalists don't care, let alone these Demons."
"I'm not that kind of person, OK, let's analyze it from a technical perspective." Tony immediately interjected, pulling out a tablet and bringing up an analysis interface. "We're facing a Devil Prince who can fight and endure, possesses immortality, a Spirit Guide whose background is unknown, and a brainwashed, physically immune Fire Skull. We need a cage, a cage that can hold 'ghosts,' or... a signal jammer that can cut off her remote control. Master Russell, does your Kamar-Taj have something like this firewall? We'll figure out a way to cut off her signal."
"We usually use... sealing spells."
"OK," Lin Huai took over. "See, haven't we analyzed a method?"
Lin Huai extended his finger, gently tapping on the table, once again drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone, let's review the information we currently have."
"First," he raised a finger, "I feel that Mephisto himself doesn't seem to care whether the contract returns to him or not. He's more like a parent who's paid up and just loves to watch how we 'educate' his son. This means that as long as we don't cross his bottom line, we have a lot of room to maneuver."
"Second," Lin Huai's face became serious, "Black Heart Demon's current state feels like he's become that Spirit Guide's henchman. The truly terrifying one is that woman. Behind her stands a Sequence 2 Death Consul. Just now, to control Johnny, she used power that didn't belong to her right in front of us, which is like lighting a torch in pitch darkness. She exposed herself."
"Third," Lin Huai looked at Tony, "Play the footage you recorded."
Tony snapped his fingers, and a holographic image was projected into mid-air, clearly frozen on the scene of the Spirit Guide holding up the yellowish Skull.
Lin Huai pointed at the Skull: "See? No matter what spell she chants or what tricks she plays, the ultimate means of controlling Johnny is through this thing. So, isn't our goal clear now?"
Lin Huai watched with satisfaction as everyone's expressions turned to sudden realization, then finally put away his smile and concluded in a declarative tone:
"Actors don't perform without preparation. This World isn't just about us fighting; we always need more friends."
"My plan is this," he drew a circle on the holographic map, which was a vast desert in Nevada, "Invite them here for the exchange."
"First, we'll use Kamar-Taj's Mirror Dimension spell to completely seal off this space, ensuring that the aftermath of the battle doesn't leak out. Then," he glanced at Tony, "Mr. Stark's Justice can descend from the sky. Anyway, Johnny is immortal, so a missile bombardment won't harm him. We'll directly carpet-bomb the area with missiles, and in the most chaotic moment, Captain and Dr. Banner will be responsible for rushing in, retrieving that Skull, and then using a sealing spell to save Johnny."
He spread his hands.
"See, there are always more solutions than problems, right?"