Lord of Cinder in American Comics

Ash didn't answer Rither. Instead, she looked at the dog beside Rither's legs, reached out and stroked the cute, fluffy creature, and asked, "What's its name?"

"Little bear..."

Ash turned past Rither, who was blocking the doorway, and walked inside without any hesitation.

The outgoing Ash greeted Finch, who was hiding behind the table, in a friendly manner. Then, looking at the computer screen with a headache because he didn't understand the content, he went to play with the dog.

Seeing that Ash didn't seem to mind at all, Rither closed the door and came to Ash's side, asking, "What are you doing here? I don't think I've given away my whereabouts..."

Ash said, "You haven't been exposed, you've been doing a great job, but I just happened to meet you today who has the same goal as me..."

Finch showed the footage Cortana had captured to Rither, and then came out from behind the table to examine it closely.

Finch said, "Mr. Risser, is this the scene you told me this morning when the protector had been taken away?"

Risser, with his usual expressionless face, said, "Yes, I only tracked their car into the tunnel, and then I didn't see them again..."

Finch looked at Ash and said in confusion, "But we're not in conflict with the authorities. The list provided by the 'machine' is limited to ordinary people..."

Before Ash could explain, a voice came from the darkness: "An ordinary person? Finch, you're still so unlovable. He's tracked you all the way here, and you still think he's just an ordinary person..."

Following the sound, a woman emerged from the darkness along the subway tracks, met Finch's panicked gaze, and went to Ash's side to pat the little bear's head.

The woman, who hadn't reacted to Ash at all, suddenly turned to look at Ash as if she were looking at something new and interesting.

The woman introduced herself, saying, "My name is Root. Are there gods around you too?"

Root, a super hacker and assassin, hopes to usher in a world protected by 'machines' and regards 'machines' as her gods. In order to communicate with 'machines', she even implanted a receiver in her cochlea, which allows her to receive 'machines' signals in any place.

Looking at Root, Ash replied, "Her name is Cortana..."

Seeing that Ash didn't object, Root smiled and turned to Finch, saying, "Look! Finch, you're the only one who sees your creation as a threat; you're not even willing to give her a name..."

In response to Root's accusations, Finch said, "Our current goal is to cooperate with Mr. Solar in tracking down his target..."

Root gave Finch a deep look, then sat on Finch's desk with her legs crossed, completely ignoring Finch's strange gaze.

Ash said, "The people in the car are Reed Richards, Susan Stone, and Johnny Stone. They are suspects in a military experiment accident and are containment targets of the Bureau of Control, but they were intercepted this morning. They even waived tens of millions of dollars in bail..."

Hearing this, Root swung her legs and asked Finch, "Tens of millions, that must be very little compared to you, Finch, right?"

If it were an ordinary person, they would definitely be drawn to investigate Finch's identity. But Ash knew that in the internet world, Finch's wealth was incalculable. Simply to avenge Reese, Finch could mobilize 24 billion dollars overnight to boost the pharmaceutical company's stock price.

Finch tensed up with worry, waiting for Ash's next move, but Ash didn't react at all, just waited, as if he were playing a parabolic game with the bear.

Seeing that Ash ignored Root's attempts to provoke him, Finch glared at Root and found information about Reed and the other two on the computer.

At Finch's place, Reed used the alias Michael Baker, while Susan and her brother had different names. They had full social security coverage, and even their dental records were accessible.

The fact that the 'machine' can give them their names indicates that in the 'machine's' eyes, they are indeed ordinary people.

Ash had never seen anything like it before, where a complete identity could be inserted into the system to deceive the 'machine,' the god of the internet.

Either they possess a more powerful intelligent life form, surpassing Cortana and the 'machines,' or they have ample manpower to insert data at every stage, creating a person out of thin air.

Ash could only think of one person and one organization as enemies, and only they could have carried out the above operations after years of preparation.

But this organization is, to some extent, hostile to one person, or perhaps only that one person has a motive.

Ash sighed inwardly, "It can only be you, Nick Fury."

Currently, the only person who is hostile to Ash and intends to sabotage the space exploration program is Nick Fury.

With alien support and years of behind-the-scenes manipulation, Fury has managed to evade investigations by S.H.I.E.L.D. and the World Security Council, and his whereabouts remain unknown.

Ash looked at Finch and said, "Delete it. This is not something you can touch."

Turning to Root, Ash said sternly, "Especially you, Samantha Groves, don't have any investigative intentions. This is my warning. This is a crisis facing the Earth..."

Ash called Root by her real name. Upon hearing her name, Root was initially surprised, but then her surprise turned into delight.

Seeing the woman's change, Ash was completely baffled. How did he manage to bring out her hidden potential?

Shaking her head to clear her mind of the negative thoughts, Ash said to Reese, "You can remodel this place. New York is going to be quite turbulent lately, so having a hiding place would be good. If all else fails, you can drive your trolley through the subway network; no one will be able to find you..."

Ash pointed to the already disabled subway car next to him and gave Rither some advice, but Rither saw Finch holding his personal computer and starting to erase the information on the fixed device.

Following Reese's gaze, Ash also saw Finch's actions.

Ash said, "Forget it, George knows about your operations, but no one has come looking for you. I'm just here to ask for some information..."

Hearing Ash's words, Finch's movements gradually slowed down, and he turned his head to look at Ash in surprise.

Ash explained, "You guys don't actually think that your job was to get Joss Carter, the mole in the police department, to rise through the ranks and take down the corrupt HR cop, do you? George found out about you a long time ago, he just didn't say anything."

Ash bluntly stated her position, leaving Finch, who had thought he had hidden his true feelings well, somewhat embarrassed. Finch eventually sat down dejectedly in front of the computer.

Looking at Finch, Ash didn't try to persuade him anymore. Finch was the most stubborn type of person; he didn't need to be persuaded. He could only let them figure it out on their own.

Root remained as unruly as ever. Ash looked at her right ear and asked, "Does it need healing?"

Root was initially surprised, but then shook her head and refused Ash's healing. Her right ear had been implanted with her faith and did not need to be changed.

Ash then threw a ball of light into Finch's body and left.

Chapter 287: Shana Lot

After notifying S.H.I.E.L.D. and the World Security Council of the suspects, Ash dropped the matter, as both organizations would not allow anyone else to interfere in dealing with Nick Fury.

Nick Fury has become a thorn in the side of both companies, and even the various human traffickers do not allow Nick Fury to affect their grand plan to control the world.

However, Fury's hiding place has not been found yet, and they can only investigate slowly. The information Ash gave them this time was a real shot in the arm.

Although Ash didn't know exactly how many agents had come to New York, he only realized how much effort the two had put in when he saw the closed-door notice from the mainland hotel.

The atmosphere in New York is much cleaner now; only fools would dare to cause trouble at this time.

Kingpin then recruited a large number of construction workers. Although he didn't know why Ash had given him this order, Kingpin followed Ash's advice and reopened two construction companies.

The only impact of this incident was Doom's departure. He sold the entire company, returned the due compensation to the military, and left New York. He even sent Ash only one email to say goodbye.

As for where Doom went, that's up to him. Now it's certain that Reed and Susan were lying to him, and this double blow to both friendship and love leaves him with no choice but to leave this place of heartbreak.

So Ash went back to her old ways, spending all her free time at Firelink Shrine, staring blankly at the campfire.

Ashes chased the fire, and Ash could just stare at the campfire in a daze for so long.

But Ash, who was watching the campfire, was lifted up by a large caterpillar next to her, causing Ash to land on its head. Then the caterpillar coiled up in a circle and rested around the campfire.

The giant egg case eventually hatched, and a white worm with a golden, fiery glow emerged from it.

Like the white skin of a silkworm, it flows with the glow of embers, giving it a unique feel.

As for calling it a caterpillar, it's because its body is indeed covered with a layer of downy hairs that cannot be seen visually; its presence can only be felt by touch.

Ash suspects that this Titan creature is a successor to Mothra, who was originally reborn in these egg cases she had left around the world after her death.

Perhaps due to the research of the Monarch organization, extracting the contents of the egg case activated certain signals in the egg, and a new consciousness was born from it.

Ash used the warmth of the fire to revive it, and with the revival effect of the campfire, it began to show a tendency to attach itself to flames after hatching.

At this moment, Ash was asleep on the giant Titan caterpillar he called Shanalot. Its silkworm-like skin brought a cool sensation, but the hidden flames within its body provided warmth.

Ever since Ash learned of this trait, she often falls asleep like this, like a rainy day in spring, with a slightly chilly temperature, combined with a warm quilt, making one want to sleep forever.

Shana Lot's name comes from the Green Robe Girl, a dragon child born of a human, a creature created by someone who attempted to transcend the cycle of cause and effect.

This is similar to the current Shana, who was born from Mothra's successor and nurtured by fire, and whose destiny transcends the original.

Since obtaining the First Flame, the Fire Keeper has frequently sought opportunities to communicate with her new friends in the Abyss, while Ash can only try to fall asleep, and upon waking up, she will see the Fire Keeper.

However, Shana was acting strangely today, stirring up trouble in Ash's sleep, but quickly calming down.

Perhaps because he had spent more time fighting than resting, Ash's sleep had always been very light. This movement woke him up, and he was unable to fall back asleep.

As soon as Ash opened her eyes, still half asleep, she saw a wronged figure tied to a pillar on the steps of the sacrificial site.

The man was John Wick, and Shana Lotte's sticky filaments held him firmly in place, making him look like a wronged X-shape.

Yawning, Ash had Shana Lotte lower John Wick down from the pillar.

Ash said, "John, do you need something from me again?"

John Wick was taken aback at first, then knelt down on one knee before Ash and said, "Please save Helen, she needs to live..."

Looking at the man before her, Ash did not refuse him. John's happy life did not last long before Helen collapsed.

Throughout history, the name Helen has either been associated with the Trojan War or with men slaughtering anyone who stands in their way of preserving their memories.

Without exception, Helen's life was always short. So short that this tough guy in front of us twice knelt down and begged Ash for help for her sake.

Ash said, "Where's the medical report? Let me see it..."

The examination report? John paused for a moment, then touched his nose uncertainly.

Seeing John's hurried arrival and current flustered state, Ash said, "I need to know her condition. Healing magic can stimulate existing life force or replenish it, but there's one special case in which this method cannot be used..."

John felt a sense of danger; Helen might be that one and only exception.

Ash sighed as he flipped through the report John had snatched from the hospital: pontine lesion with metastasis throughout the body. If Ash were in the human era, he would have had to secretly call his family aside and subtly deliver a three-part medical consultation.

Ash looked at the anxious John and said, "It's too late, John. If it were stage one or two, I could still cooperate with the surgery to remove that part and then replenish her vitality, but now I can't remove all her diseased organs..."

Still searching for a possibility, John, incredulous, asked, "Is there really no chance?"

Ash said, "John, theology isn't a panacea. Cancer, simply put, is a battle between proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. This is an inherent part of human DNA, like a road leading to death. I can only slow down the car, but I can't make it go in the opposite direction..."

After hearing Ash's words, John lost all his energy and spirit, and walked away dejectedly like a walking corpse.

Watching John's retreating figure, Ash called out to him, "John, are you still a proficient marksman?"

John turned around, his lifeless eyes responding to Ash's gaze; his heart was dead.

Ash said, "Just because I can't do anything doesn't mean God can't. There's a battle that, if won, can give Helen a new life. Do you know Gertrude, the daughter of the angels?"

Ash explained to John in detail the debate between Gertrude and Rosalia, and the benefits that the outcome of the battle could bring.

The thought of bringing Helen back to life instantly took root in John's heart, and the belief in bringing Helen back to life gave him an unwavering goal.

The rekindled flame of the soul aroused Ash's curiosity; this belief was enough to transform John's soul into that of a powerful being.

Back home, John swung a sledgehammer, smashed the basement floor, and retrieved his stored weapons.

Next came training, but John had already left the assassin profession, so he could no longer go to the places that served assassins; he could only go to ordinary shooting ranges.

Subsequently, the public opinion John created even prompted George to call Ash specifically to inquire about it.