Marvel's Death Merchant

Chapter 195 The Maniqi Military Mansion

Jie Liang and Kenneth are surrounded by walkers and their lives are hanging by a thread, but perhaps there is a glimmer of hope waiting for them.

In the critical moment, a surge of dark energy suddenly erupted from Akira's heart, taking over his entire body. The power of the Dark Warrior caused Akira's cells to undergo violent changes.

"You want to kill me? I won't die, because I am Akara." Unparalleled rage swelled within Akara's consciousness, continuing to expand. Until a barrier within his consciousness was suddenly shattered, and the power of his past life reappeared.

A powerful, dark aura suddenly burst forth from the top of Jie Liang's head, cleansing and merging with every cell in his body from top to bottom. Jie Liang suddenly became incredibly calm, and his vision of the surroundings became clearer and clearer.

A black shadow, almost invisible to the naked eye, flashed by, and Jie Liang already had his gun in hand, his entire body surging with dark energy.

All that could be seen was a virtual black line appearing before Akara's eyes, like a laser beam emitted from a laser sight. The only difference was that this line could not be blocked no matter how many targets it passed through, always pointing towards the distant and invisible void. Like the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, the power of the Dark Knight could see the fatal weaknesses of dark creatures.

Jie Liang channeled his power and spirit into the gun, seemingly enlightened. He channeled dark energy into the pistol and gently pulled the trigger, firing the bullet. Then, another stream of dark energy suddenly split from Jie Liang's body, flowing into the bullet, which shot out with several times the speed and unstoppable force! Almost simultaneously with the gunshot, the heads of three zombies exploded in the direction the muzzle pointed! What Jie Liang saw, the line extending from the muzzle into the endless void, was clearly a ray of death!

A sneer played on Jie Liang's lips as the long spear rang out once more, unleashing a death ray. Thirty-four zombies' heads exploded simultaneously! In a mere instant, it proved the immense power Jie Liang had once possessed.

Jie Liang strolled leisurely toward the gap in the encirclement, his hands moving in a blur, instantly reloading the M9 with bullets.

Gunshots rang out again, and more walkers were quickly taken down. In the heavy rain, only one person could be seen walking in this dangerous place, eliminating the massive horde of walkers.

Moments later, all the zombies were wiped out, leaving only Jie Liang behind; the crisis was thus resolved.

Kenneth watched in stunned silence as Jie Liang effortlessly wiped out all the walkers. Just a moment ago he thought he was doomed, but the situation had instantly reversed.

"My God, this is simply a miracle!" Kenneth immediately came to his senses. He excitedly said to Jie Liang, "You are the god who creates miracles, the God of Guns."

Jie Liang smiled and said to Kenneth, "You flatter me, sir. We created a miracle together."

In the pouring rain, Jie Liang created a miracle. Perhaps he can create more miracles in the future. In the virtual world, Jie Liang has almost completed what he needed to experience.

Seeing that there was no danger, the two ran towards the mansion inside, since the outside was definitely not safe.

The mansion's main entrance bore a familiar symbol to Akira: the red and white Umbrella Corporation logo. The door was open, revealing a deep, dark interior. However, having narrowly escaped death from a horde of walkers, neither of them had the will to go inside. Even if Akira could handle it, neither wanted to go through that ordeal again.

Jie Liang closed the door again. He decided to spend the night in the car, since going out at night wasn't an ideal time.

The next day, Akira and Kenneth killed the few zombies in the yard that had been attracted by the gunshots the previous night, and then thoroughly searched the entire mansion. After clearing out the few zombies locked in the bedrooms, the entire mansion became their private property.

The mansion was actually named Maniki Military Mansion. This made Jie Liang feel somewhat familiar but also puzzled. The original owner was obviously a fanatical arms dealer, as the hall upon entering was filled with all kinds of weapons from various civilizations.

The hall was filled with a wide variety of cold weapons, including swords, scimitars, staffs, spears, flails, shields, and armor.

The basement of the mansion, apart from the first floor which was used as a warehouse to store a large amount of living supplies, had its entire second basement level converted into a massive firearms arsenal.

The arsenal contained not only various civilian firearms of different lengths and lengths, but also a wide range of military firearms, including heavy anti-material sniper rifles, Vulcan cannons, man-portable anti-tank guns, and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, each bearing the logo of the Umbrella Corporation.

One of them had been converted into a small arms factory, with raw materials for making bullets of various specifications and a manual processing mechanical production line, leaving Jie Liang speechless. These things could easily turn him into a sieve.

"The original owner of this military mansion was a complete madman!" Kenneth remarked to Jie Liang. "With so many zombies in the house, were all the weapons he had just for show?"

“No, I think these weapons were just his strange hobby, and those zombies,” Jie Liang paused and said, “were probably refugees taken in by the original owner. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to know enough about zombies, leaving some people behind who were bitten, which directly led to the tragic death of everyone in the house, turning them into zombies!”

A military enthusiast, out of kindness, took in refugees, only to find that some of them suddenly turned into zombies. The others, unsuspecting, treated them like ordinary patients, resulting in multiple bites, more turning into zombies, and...

Kenneth imagined what had happened back then and couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

“This is a good place, sturdy and well-stocked. We can stay!” Jie Liang said happily to Kenneth.

“But we need to clean this place up first!” Kenneth felt a headache coming on just thinking about the yard full of corpses.

“Get them out of here, onto the highway and burn them!” Jie Liang said with interest. “Kenneth, do you know what I’m thinking? I want to rebuild human society, and this place can be our base. We can take in refugees, pile up the corpses on the highway and burn them. The piles of corpses will deter thieves and tell people that the zombies have been wiped out and it’s a safe place! We can also put up a sign next to it. Ha, we can establish a settlement very quickly!”

“I don’t think this is a good idea. There are only two of us, and the supplies here are limited!” Kenneth said thoughtfully.

Jie Liang smiled confidently: "I will make them self-reliant!"

Next, Jie Liang and Kenneth disposed of everything inside the mansion that had been contaminated by the walkers, and painstakingly scrubbed the floors and walls, making the mansion look brand new. Then they sorted and stored everything from the truck inside the mansion, freeing up the truck bed to load the corpses from the yard.

The more than one hundred dead corpses took six truckloads to haul away. Jie Liang piled the bodies on both sides of the road, forming two small hills. It was only thanks to yesterday's heavy rain that they could have been cleared.

After finishing all that, it was almost dark, and Jie Liang felt completely exhausted.

"Oh my god, I think I should go take a shower." Kenneth said helplessly to Akira, who agreed with him, as he noticed that he was a little dirty.

"I found a generator behind my house. Add some oil and it should work. The villa has its own well and an electric water heater in the bathroom. Lucky guy, you can go take a hot shower now!" Jie Liang said to Kenneth with a smile.

Kenneth nodded, and Jie Liang smiled as he admired the fruits of his labor for the day.

In the golden sunset, the entire mansion reflected a sacred light, the Umbrella logo shone brightly in the sunlight, and the dense woods surrounding the mansion swayed in the breeze, creating a scene of idyllic paradise.

“Let’s name this place, Akira. It’s a good place,” Kenneth said to Akira, who was deep in thought.

“A name… let me think of one.” Jie Liang pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, “The original name the master gave it was Maniqi Military Mansion, but we’ve already reclaimed it. It happens to have an umbrella symbol on it…”

Jie Liang paused for a moment, then said seriously, "How about calling it the Umbrella Base?"

“I think it’s a good idea,” Kenneth agreed from the side. (To be continued...)

Chapter 196 Doctor Doom

Stark Industries Building, New York City, USA.

Outside a spacious office on the top floor, a young scientist was preparing to come to Stark and Tang Tian to discuss an investment plan to enter space.

In the Stark Industries office, Tang Tian had already discussed the investment in Reed's team and Victor Corporation with Stark. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Tang Tian and Stark exchanged a glance; they knew that a brilliant scientist was eager to go into space for research.

At Tang Tian's prompting, Stark's expression instantly turned serious as he said, "Please come in."

"Click!" The door was gently pushed open, and a young white man in a suit walked in. He looked at Tang Tian and Stark and smiled, saying, "Hello, Mr. Stark and Mr. Donald."

"Hello, Mr. Victor, please do!" Tony Stark smiled and said to Victor without hesitation. Of course, it wasn't that Stark wanted to invest; it was only because Tang Tian wanted Stark to participate in this experiment that he did this.

“Okay.” Victor was very satisfied with Stark’s attitude. If his company hadn’t been short of funds, he wouldn’t have gone to Stark Industries to attract investment.

Victor's face gradually turned serious, and Tang Tian knew from Victor's expression that the important matter was about to begin.

Doctor Doom is Victor. In the comics, Doctor Doom is many times stronger than in the movie. This Doctor Doom is also known through the Umbrella intelligence network. However, Tang Tian is also interested in recruiting him into the Watchmen organization.

As the chairman of Stark Industries and Umbrella Corporation, it would be very easy for Tang Tian to go into space with the future Fantastic Four, including Reed and Ben. Tang Tian wanted Iron Man to gain superpowers to deal with future crises.

“Well, Mr. Victor, we can begin.” Stark gave Victor the same look he always did and said seriously, “Mr. Victor, I looked at your research plan before investing, and I thought it was quite good.”

Seeing that the plan was feasible, Victor began to explain the purpose of the experiment in detail. Tang Tian listened attentively beside him. The subject of this research was a high-energy cosmic storm generated by the coronal wind, which would pass through Earth's orbit in a few days. Reed's team hoped to conduct research in space. Of course, Victor was persuaded by Reed, so they could only cooperate with Stark Industries on the research. As a fellow scientist, Victor believed that Stark and Tang Tian would be interested.

Victor knew they were interested and made an empty promise. He told Stark and Tang Tian that if the research succeeded, it would fundamentally advance the modification of the human genome structure, cure countless diseases, extend lifespan, and bring endless benefits to humanity. It could even enable ordinary humans to gain the power of mutants or Captain America.

Victor felt the research project would benefit the two arms dealers in front of him. They would definitely participate, and Victor was excited at the thought. A powerful alliance would create unpredictable discoveries, so he needed to get these two involved.

Stark pondered for a moment, but Tang Tian spoke first: "Umbrella Corporation will join this project, but I hope it can begin as soon as possible." Tang Tian looked at Victor earnestly and said that he would definitely bring his men with him before going into space, because who wouldn't want such cheap superpowers? The Watchmen organization needs more members to join.

After some final consideration, Stark decided to invest in the research. His best friends were all interested in the space research, and Stark, of course, didn't care whether the research succeeded or not; the Iron Man suit was, to date, Stark's pinnacle achievement.

Victor was very excited to hear that they had agreed, since even if the experiment failed, his losses would not be too great, and it would be entirely beneficial to Victor.

"Alright. Let's begin the investment," Tang Tian said with a smile to Victor.

“Okay, let’s begin.” Victor nodded, and then the investments from Stark Industries and Umbrella Corporation were in place.

To ensure the experiment's success, Stark Industries and Umbrella Corporation collaborated to manufacture the experimental spaceship and rocket. Everything was quickly prepared, and Stark and Tang Tian arrived to await the experiment's official commencement.

Here, the future Fantastic Four are ready to go. Reed, Ben, Susan, and Johnny are almost all packed up, and Victor also appears after finishing his work at the company.

Upon seeing Stark and Tang Tian appear, Reed walked over and greeted them: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tony Stark, Iron Man, and Mr. Donald, the ageless one."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Reed," Tang Tian said with a smile, shaking hands with Reed.

“I am Ben,” a somewhat overweight middle-aged man said to Tang Tian.

“Johnny,” a handsome white man said with a smile.

Tony Stark was preoccupied with developing improvements to his new Iron Man suit, so he didn't tell anyone. Currently, Stark is more interested in his exoskeleton armor and not particularly interested in biotechnology.

During the conversation, Tang Tian expressed interest in Reed's experiment, so they got along quite well. Reed said, "It's almost time. The spaceship will launch soon. I believe your investment will be well worth it. The initial investment in science is indeed quite large, but I believe the rewards will be plentiful, just like Mr. Stark next to you."

Tang Tian felt it was time to bring out some of the technology from the amnesiac dimension in deep space. That's right, it was that dark blue bodysuit. It can be said that the costumes of superhero teams like the Fantastic Four are the best, as they can adapt to combat under various conditions and the costumes will not be damaged in any way.

When Reed saw what Tang Tian had taken out, his eyes lit up and he smiled, saying, "Mr. Donald, could you tell me about this suit? I think it will definitely be helpful to our experiment."

The others also became interested, since the chairman of Umbrella Corporation would never bring anything useless. What he brings is definitely not junk; it's either new materials or some high-tech stuff, so it won't disappoint them.

"It's a new material discovered by Umbrella Corporation, made of self-regulating unstable molecules that are not easily damaged. Moreover, when the contents inside change, the new material also changes; it is affected by the contents themselves and has extremely strong defensive capabilities. Even a Barrett sniper rifle cannot penetrate its defenses." Tang Tian paused, looking at the stunned expressions on everyone's faces, and said seriously.

In the movie, Johnny gains a fire-like superpower, but his strength surpasses that of the Man of Fire. Furthermore, thanks to the use of new materials in their suits, the Fantastic Four never make a fool of themselves.

"That's amazing. With that kind of clothing, scientific experiments would be much less troublesome." Johnny was still interested in the new material clothing.

"Victor also provided assistance in the manufacture of the new material clothing," Tang Tian continued to explain to everyone. Stark and Victor had already sat to the side, bored and clearly uninterested.

"You mean it can insulate against heat and cold, and also act as a super conductor?" Susan said thoughtfully, looking at the new material clothing.

Upon hearing Tang Tian's explanation, Reed became interested and came to Tang Tian's side. He took the new material clothing in Tang Tian's hand, examined it carefully, and exclaimed in admiration, "It's really amazing! Many experiments require such unstable materials. This material is definitely a scientific breakthrough."

Tang Tian nodded and said, "That's right, I can provide a large quantity of such materials if needed."

Tang Tian's purpose in coming here was to grant Stark and himself superpowers, and his relationship with Marvel Man was also crucial for future developments. (To be continued...)

Chapter 197 Cosmic Dark Energy

Earth, outer space station. Tang Tian, ​​Reed, and the others have successfully entered the space station where the spaceship separated. However, in order to improve his strength, Tang Tian also had Wesker and some soldiers taken to other parts of the space station. This would not only ensure the continuation of the experiment but also enhance the strength of his subordinates.

Tang Tian knew his goal this time: to study and simulate the effects of cosmic storms on genes. In the movie, Reed created a machine that had the opposite effect of cosmic storms, restoring Ben to his original state. Conversely, if the machine could be used in reverse, it could achieve the goal of mass-producing superhumans, and the Umbrella Corporation's power would increase explosively.

On the outer space station, Reed told Tang Tian and Stark that the cosmic storm would appear in seven hours. However, Tang Tian knew that Reed had miscalculated the timing of the cosmic storm. As a result, the cosmic storm arrived at the space station in seven minutes. Such an error would be fatal to ordinary people, but for the Fantastic Four, it was the reason they became superheroes.

Tang Tian and Stark, who showed little interest, were also observing the universe from another part of the space station. Tang Tian knew that although there seemed to be no danger outside the universe now, it was only a matter of time before danger appeared.

When Reed realized he had miscalculated the timing of the cosmic storm, he immediately notified Susan, Johnny, and Ben, but it was too late.

Tang Tian knew this was an opportunity, so he said to Stark beside him, "Stark, put on the Iron Man suit. It's still outside, and a cosmic storm isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Stark, hearing Tang Tian's words, turned his head with some doubt and said to his friend, "Brother, you know that the Iron Man suit can't possibly protect against the radiation of a cosmic storm. However, there must be a reason why you're asking me to do this."

Tang Tian was quite satisfied with Stark's intelligence. Smart people grasp things quickly; the superpowers gained from radiation outside the space station would definitely be stronger than those gained inside.

Inside, Victor was also afraid that the cosmic storm would kill him, so like Tang Tian, ​​Victor shut down the space station's protective shield.

Tang Tian arrived at Victor's location and, seeing the complex look in his eyes, said seriously, "Mr. Victor, shut down all defense systems. A cosmic storm isn't necessarily a bad thing..."

"Come here quickly, Ben, you can do it." Johnny stood at the entrance of the space station and shouted to Ben outside the station.

However, being outside the space station meant he couldn't get any leverage, and the situation was getting worse as the fiery red cosmic storm behind him drew ever closer to the space station.

Tang Tian sensed the immense energy of the cosmic storm, donned his Iron Man suit, and flew out of the space station, preparing to absorb a large amount of cosmic energy. Iron Man, of course, also went outside to rescue Ben, marking the first contact between the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.