Lord of Cinder in American Comics

Compared to these impending dangers, the battles fought by these superpowered individuals are even more worrying.

Unknowable, unpredictable, and even where they were fighting was unclear. Earth was essentially feeling its way across the river by touching the stones when it came to this battle, only able to glean fragments of information from a limited number of people, and then piecing it together through imagination.

Hill is the key figure here. According to Geralt, this battle requires the participation of a mortal, and that mortal is Hill.

For Hill's safety and data collection, the World Security Council equipped her with all sorts of equipment, and even found her the legendary Shroud of Turin.

However, when Geralt arrived, he looked at all the things in front of him and laughed for almost two hours.

These magical items do indeed contain some residual energy, and even a very few of them, if used, could kill one or two super strong individuals.

Picking up a spear, Geralt felt the energy within it. This was comparable to a weapon enhanced to its maximum potential with light stones, and even more accessible to ordinary people in terms of usage.

Hill examined the spear and said, "This is equipment provided by the World Security Council. Be careful, it's a licensed item from the World Security Council, you have to return it after you're done using it."

Gently stroking the spear, feeling the energy design patterns on it, Geralt asked, "Whose spear is this? This kind of weapon isn't something ordinary people can use..."

"This is a spear from the East. It is said that the design was based on an ancient inventor named Zhang Heng, but because the materials used to make it are too rare, only this one weapon has been produced so far."

The name Zhang Heng instantly triggered Geralt's past memories. In the Marvel Universe, in 2620 BC, a parasitic insect-like alien race called BROOD invaded Earth, killed the Egyptian Pharaoh Hassehmwe Hassehmimi, and ended the Second Dynasty of Egypt.

At this moment, the great Imhotep stepped forward, summoned the Moon Knight and the young Apocalypse, and led a large army to defeat the BROOD race and kill their queen.

The hero Imhotep wielded two divine weapons. One, a shield, remained in the West, eventually evolving into S.H.I.E.L.D., while the other, a spear, traveled to the East, ultimately becoming China's Divine Spear Bureau.

Zhang Heng was a spear wielder during the Han Dynasty.

Even though this weapon is a replica, as long as it can pierce the enemy's body, its powerful force will be unleashed, making it more than capable of taking down a black dwarf.

Of course, the user needs to be strong enough to stab the spear into the enemy's body. For someone with a body as thick and tough as Black Dwarf, the strength of an ordinary person might be a bit of a stretch.

If the replica is this powerful, then the original is even more so; it's a dangerous weapon that could take down even a member of the Celestials.

Geralt put the spear back in its place and looked at the pile of scraps. He wondered if he had put too much pressure on Earth. He could even release such a dangerous weapon. Was the next step to combine the spear and shield?

After much thought, I decided to give Earth some help, at least to give them a clear understanding of advanced warfare.

Geralt then pulled out a small cloth bag and tossed it to Hill, saying, "This is a Mossball Fruit. It can boost your immunity. If you need to improve yourself, it's best to eat this before and after training..."

Upon opening the cloth bag, Hill saw that it was a vine, dotted with many purple fruits like scattered grapes.

[Moss Ball Fruit: Small Moss Ball Fruit. Temporarily increases resistance to bleeding, poison, cold, and curses. The effects of the Moss Ball Fruit are unrelated to its color; rather, they contain the effects of various colored Moss Balls.]

Hill didn't stand on ceremony with Geralt's usual friendly cooperation, and simply picked one and ate it.

After swallowing the fruit, Hill instantly felt much lighter, and began to radiate heat from his body, warming him from the inside out.

Just as Hill was about to thank Geralt and ask if he could get more of the fruit, he looked up to find Geralt drawing his longsword with a solemn expression.

Without a word, Geralt swung his sword directly at Hill's head, a swift action that terrified the guards around him.

Geralt has always maintained a cooperative attitude, and his only contacts are Hill and the people around her, which makes it impossible for low-level agents to get close to him.

Furthermore, Geralt also used his abilities to teach a lot of key knowledge in some educational activities.

This led to a gradual increase in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s trust in Geralt, to the point that he can now freely enter and exit the office, and even access core secrets.

But what's going on? Geralt actually drew his sword and slashed at his own chief? The surrounding guards had just drawn their weapons and hadn't even aimed them at Geralt yet when Geralt's sword was already at Hill's head.

The sword's edge sliced ​​across Hill's head, grazing her hair, and the biting wind made everyone around feel the temperature plummet.

Geralt's sword stopped, landing on Hill's shoulder; with just a little force, it would take her life.

Geralt! Drop your weapons!

Warnings rang out from the surrounding guards and agents, who pointed their guns at Geralt, but their own chief of staff was under Geralt's sword, so they could not rashly fire.

"I didn't know you were a devilish trader, Hill. How many people like you are there?"

Geralt's words left the ordinary agents around him puzzled, but only those who had participated in the operation against the Greedy Ones had a glimmer of an answer in their minds.

“I thought we were friends, Geralt…”

Hill didn't answer directly. Instead, he tilted his head and glanced at the longsword on his shoulder. The cold, metallic touch made Hill even calmer.

"This is no reason to make a deal with a demon, especially not with such a powerful enemy..."

Geralt's scarlet eyes looked behind Hill as if someone was standing behind her.

"You can see it? Why didn't you notice it before? Ash saw through someone's deal at a glance..."

Hill was not alarmed. S.H.I.E.L.D. had several specialized teams dedicated to conducting behavioral and psychological analyses of Geralt.

Although the hunter says he'll ruthlessly kill the darkness, Geralt will leave a chance for the good to survive, just like with the puppet Ella before.

"Mossball fruits can increase resistance, all resistance. If it weren't for it, I wouldn't be able to see the guy behind you, this dangerous enemy, I wouldn't even need..."

At this point, Geralt didn't continue. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and shifted his sword inwards a little further.

Despite Geralt's threat, Hill nonchalantly stepped out from under the sword's edge, turning to the surrounding agents and saying, "Those who have participated in special operations can stay; everyone else, get out..."

The director gave the order, and his subordinates naturally obeyed. However, the number of people gathering outside the room continued to increase, and Geralt even sensed that several special teams were already waiting outside.

"Sharon, bring up the SS-1278 file..."

Hill's assistant, Agent 13 Sharon Carter, was ordered to show Geralt the deal that had taken place in the vault with the greedy man.

Geralt finished reading and sheathed his sword, but his expression did not soften; instead, it became even more serious.

Suspicion and disbelief crossed Geralt's face as he asked Hill, "You actually possess such a treasure... This is a signal to initiate a high-level war..."

Hill was somewhat puzzled; S.H.I.E.L.D. had always been completely clueless about mythology and special items.

Now that Geralt could communicate, Hill naturally wouldn't let the opportunity pass by, asking, "Advanced warfare? What's that?"

"A treasure born at the dawn of the universe; whoever possesses it can secure a place in the universe, or even dominate it..."

Geralt's explanation excited Hill; such an item—no, such a weapon—was an absolute boon to making Earth great again.

Geralt's mocking gaze felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over Hill, chilling her to the bone.

After calming down, Hill asked, "Are there many such treasures in the universe? We've heard that there are three great empires in the universe. Do these empires possess them?"

The fundamental knowledge of the universe comes from Carl the Hedgehog. The enthusiastic Carl brought this knowledge to Earth; let's say thank you, Carl.

Geralt shook his head, giving an unexpected answer.

"None of the three great empires possess this treasure. It's something the strong don't need, and the weak can't hold onto. In fact, if this thing is exposed, fleets from various forces will arrive one after another. That's why it's called a signal of high-level warfare..."

Some powerful beings even collect these items as collectibles. To the elders and immortals of the universe, these items are either collectibles or toys for destroying planets…

Geralt's explanation made Hill's heart leap into her throat once again; the information and knowledge about the universe and dimensions kept assaulting her senses.

The stinging pain was already reminding her that she needed to write a detailed report for the World Security Council.

Geralt's next words dealt Hill another heavy blow.

"Given your status as a demon trader, our transaction is suspended. I will not provide you with any further assistance until I am certain you can properly handle your own problems..."

This was a bolt from the blue; the hunter was going to cancel her cooperation with S.H.I.E.L.D.! Hill seemed to see the destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D., this long-established organization would be ruined in her hands.

Hill hurriedly said, "The deal with the greedy stemmed from the protection of the Earth. At that moment, there was absolutely no time to do anything else to prevent it; we were even prepared to perish together. Your judgment does not represent my betrayal of my responsibilities..."

Geralt glanced around and said dismissively, "Perhaps..."

After saying that, Geralt walked outside, and the people outside pointed their weapons at him, waiting for Hill's orders.

However, Hill remained silent, while Geralt simply pushed aside the gun barrel in front of him, strode forward, and left the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

Hill stood on the rooftop, watching Geralt ride Carrot and speed away into the distance, disappearing from sight after turning a corner.

Hill threw his phone away, cursing, "Fuck!"

Only after smashing it did they belatedly realize that it was a cross-dimensional telephone specifically used to communicate with Geralt.

Suppressing the bulging veins on his forehead, Hill was about to gather his men to repair the phone, but before he could even utter a word, he saw the phone itself burst into blue flames and burn him to ashes.

Fuck! Fuck!

Chapter 263: A Way to Prove Oneself

The events at S.H.I.E.L.D. were quickly relayed to the World Security Council, and no one blamed Hill for what had happened to her.

All five members of the group signed an agreement with the greedy man, and they were all prepared to perish together with him.

The trail of the greedy was only discovered on a small archaeological ship before it entered the storm-ravaged Yamatai.

The World Security Council has also sent personnel to attempt to enter Yamatai, but all attempts were repelled by hurricanes. Scattered intelligence suggests that the greedy have established a base on the island.

The group of five did try to find a solution; they even sent Laura back to Yamatai to see if she could communicate with the Greedy Ones.

But after they imprisoned Laura and the crew of the Resilience, all of them suffered misfortune.

Someone broke their leg falling down the stairs; someone unknowingly played audio aloud while browsing certain websites. One unlucky guy nearly choked to death while drinking water, and during emergency rescue, paramedics performing CPR broke nine of his ribs, almost killing him at the hands of his own people.

Under these circumstances, the World Security Council no longer dared to detain Laura and the others, and even provided a series of assistance to her archaeological work.

Now, the problem of greed has resurfaced, even triggering a conflict with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s biggest partner.

This has led the World Security Council to wonder if this was a conspiracy orchestrated by greedy individuals long ago.

The loss of Hill's identity rendered all the preparations made for her useless.

Just as the World Security Council was attempting to drop the Tsar Bomba on Yamatai, Hill received a report from his subordinates.

"A woman came to me with Geralt's horse? And someone can walk with Geralt?"

Hill was a little curious. Carrot's bad temper was notorious in S.H.I.E.L.D. He had no patience for anyone who spoke ill of him, and sometimes he would even kick them, to the point that some people speculated that Carrot could understand human speech.

In any case, now that the carrot has appeared, Hill has a renewed hope that Geralt might reappear.

Sure enough, when his agents brought the woman in, Hill recognized her.

Ella, the puppet who had escaped Mary Shaw's clutches. And the radish was a gift from Ella to Geralt, which explains why they get along so well.

Ella didn't say much, and directly stated her purpose.

"Geralt sent me to ask you whether you've decided to distance yourself from the darkness..."

"I have never sided with the dark side. In fact, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been dealing with this kind of thing all along. Protecting the Earth is our responsibility..."

Hill's words, full of justice and passion, only annoyed Ella. The S.H.I.E.L.D. staff were just going through the motions in the fight against Mary Shaw.

In her subsequent interactions with Geralt, Ella also learned that the responsibility for protecting Earth belonged to three different organizations.

Ella felt that Geralt's previous efforts had been in vain because of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s self-aggrandizing approach.