Lord of Cinder in American Comics

Having learned from Melinda's experience, Coulson did not ask any questions and immediately called for all team members to assemble and evacuate.

As soon as they stepped outside, they saw a huge black beam of light shooting into the sky from a region in the east, resembling a colossal tower reaching for the heavens.

Seeing this fantastical celestial phenomenon, Coulson understood what Fury meant by calling for an emergency evacuation. Indeed, if they didn't leave now, it would be too late.

Everyone was on the bus. Coulson, still trying to remember if he had forgotten something, was once again urged by Fury. Coulson had no choice but to lead the rest of the team to evacuate immediately.

Let's rewind to a few hours earlier.

After a good night's sleep, Stark shouted by the campfire, "I think I could call twelve months' worth of magazine cover girls at once!"

However, this was merely Stark's wishful thinking. Stark was currently reeking of vomit, and no normal person would want to approach him. Fortunately, no one at the sacrificial site had witnessed his embarrassing state.

Rubbing her cheek, which had been flattened by the pressure, Stark went to her assistant, hoping to change into some clothes that wouldn't smell.

Outside the sacrificial site, the once-pleasant community party has ended, and now only the Kassel family and the Hatch family, who are on good terms, and Snow, who is willing to help take care of the children, are present.

After the community party comes the more private family party time.

On the lawn, Onion Knight set up his large round-bottomed soup pot, ready to simmer a pot of his specialty, the Elemental Soup.

Kingpin remained the humble chubby guy in front of Onion Knight, while Leslie was busy trying to get Kingpin's forgiveness.

Ash and Cassel somehow got hold of an old-fashioned arcade machine, and the two of them were having a blast playing Galaga, making a lot of noise as they played, which attracted the attention of other children around them who wanted to watch.

Martha had become the leader among Pepper and the Fire Keeper, who were practically ready to take notes on Martha's famous quotes and methods for disciplining her disobedient boyfriends (or sons).

When Stark emerged from the sacrificial site, this was the scene he witnessed: everyone had their own fun, and everyone was enjoying themselves.

"My God, Tony, you smell like a 90-year-old grandma's smelly socks that haven't been washed for a week."

Happy, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, broke Stark's tranquility. Happy even took a few steps away and kept waving his hand in front of his nose.

Holding a package, Happy tried to approach Stark, but couldn't stand the smell on Stark, so he put it down at his feet, took a few steps back, and said to Stark, "These are the clothes Pepper prepared for you. You can find a place to change."

Stark, his face darkening, saw Happy's expression, tried pulling up his collar, and sniffed it. Then, he quickly picked up the package from the ground and went back to the Firelink Shrine to change his clothes.

While Kassel was playing with a bee with Ash, his goddess Beckett arrived. Kassel was about to tell Beckett about her day's events with a smile when...

Beckett, looking anxious, spoke first: "Caselle, you have to hold on, Alex has been kidnapped."

## Chapter 54: Alex as a Hostage

The news brought by Beckett alarmed everyone, and a crowd gathered around.

Alex was supposed to come to Ash's party after visiting the historical buildings and completing his school activities.

But at that moment, Beckett brought news that Alex had been kidnapped.

Kassel's face shifted from surprise at seeing Beckett to astonishment and disbelief. Kassel anxiously asked Beckett, "What happened? Alex was supposed to come here right after the event... no, I should have gone to pick her up..."

Kassel went from disbelief to worry about his child, and then fell into deep self-blame. Martha, who was standing to the side, almost fainted when she heard that her granddaughter had been kidnapped.

Beckett, who brought the news, became the focus of everyone's attention, and they all surrounded him, trying to get more information.

“Alex and his group were supposed to take a ferry to Long Island after visiting the wetland park on Block Island, but a group of soldiers from who-knows-where secretly infiltrated the island and took them hostage.”

Shortly after the incident, the New York Police Department sealed off all waterways and traffic. Then Forberle arrived and is now in charge of the situation.

Through Beckett's words, everyone gradually understood the cause of the incident. The fact that Forborough had sealed off the scene prevented Beckett, a New York police detective, from obtaining more information.

After gathering as much information as possible, Beckett rushed to Kassel's side to deliver the message and try to calm him down.

At that moment, Kassel had a flash of inspiration, found Ash, grabbed Ash's arm and said, "Ash, please, help me find some information. I know you have connections with Forborough, please."

Ash, who was also curious about the matter, picked up the phone and dialed Director Davelin of Forborough at Kassel's urging.

Ash's conversation with Davelyn on the phone lacked its usual lightness and casualness; those standing nearby waiting for news could sense the pressure Ash was under during their conversation.

As soon as Ash hung up the phone, Cassell was the first to rush over and say, "Ash, what happened? Tell me quickly!"

Ash, frowning, was still pondering how to explain the matter to Cassel tactfully without further upsetting him.

Martha noticed Ash's hesitation and said, "Ash, whatever it is, we have to accept it eventually. Just say it."

"It's largely the same news Beckett brought: a group of soldiers have taken Alex and his companions hostage, trying to get some demands through this action. However, they've used some very dangerous threats."

The soldiers were elite Marines led by General Frank Hammer, who had also raided an Air Force armory the night before (as depicted in the movie, with the Marines raiding an Air Force armory) and obtained a batch of VX nerve gas grenades.

General Hammer then led the Marines to occupy the entire island, took hostages, and began negotiations with the outside world.

"Given the current fighting capabilities of Forberle and the NYPD, they are absolutely no match for General Hammer's Marines, not to mention that they also possess biological weapons that could threaten millions of people."

Upon hearing Ash's explanation, Martha collapsed to the ground, thankfully supported by Pepper who was nearby.

"I remember that VX gas can be removed by high temperatures or by dissolving it in water to reduce the damage."

Stark, who appeared out of nowhere, stood by and offered advice.

Ash understood Stark's professionalism, but he clearly overlooked the role the hostages were playing, especially with a parent present.

Ash had no choice but to remind him, "Yes, Stark, they've prepared a batch of thermite incendiary bombs. The only solution to the failed negotiations is to have the Air Force bomb the island flat."

"For the sake of the remaining millions of people, they chose to sacrifice these hostages..."

As an arms dealer, Stark understood the dilemma: saving the greater good versus saving the lesser good. For the people of New York City, sacrificing the hostages on the island was the right thing to do. But for the families of those hostages, any loss of hostages would be equally unacceptable.

"Wait a minute, General Hammer raided the Air Force's armory. Wait a bit, I'll make another call and check."

Having grasped the key points, Ash decided to contact General Ross again, as the Air Force commander would surely have relevant information.

The call was dialed again, but before Ash could speak, Ross launched into a tirade: "Ash, f***ing Faran Hammer! I was the one who recommended him to become the Marine Corps commander, and he dares to steal my armory, f***ing!"

It seems that Hammer's raid on Ross's armory made Ross very uncomfortable. Despite Ross's anger, Ash still inquired about the details.

"General, what solutions are available now? It's said that Forborough is here, but it's clear they can't solve the problem."

"Those guys were only responsible for sealing off the area. They borrowed a small Delta Force team from Sheffield to prepare for close-range precision air strikes."

According to Ross, Forberle's original plan was to send a small team of ground forces to secretly infiltrate, identify all threats, and then precisely guide three waves of air strikes, with each Super Hornet carrying 13700 pounds of munitions to flatten all threats.

Ash understood that this was Ami's traditional skill: bomb, keep bombing, bomb until it's flat. Now everything was ready, and the plane was on the runway for flight checks.

"General, do you understand why General Hammer did this?"

When asked why, Ross noticeably fell silent, his angry tone vanished, and only a somewhat wistful remark came through: "That idiot is preparing to publicly reveal what happened two years ago, to seek justice for the 21 gunshots his men deserved."

Speaking of General Hammer's actions, Ross was even somewhat moved: "That idiot did it before us. If it weren't for the money you brought, Sheffield would probably have already started a world war."

Ross, a longtime friend and close friend of Sheffield, had long seen through Sheffield's intentions, but with the help of Ash, Sheffield has now abandoned this inhumane idea.

But who would have thought that Fran Hammer, who was also a military commander, would actually do it?

Ash put his phone on speakerphone, and everyone present fell silent. The crisis stemmed from the past, but now it was happening to their own family members, something no one could bear.

Martha was already weeping, and Cassel stood frozen in place. In this situation, no one had a good solution.

"General, I'd like to see Fran Hammer; perhaps I can persuade him to change his mind!"

Ash's words suddenly gave everyone a boost of confidence. Everyone in the room looked at Ash, really hoping that he could work a miracle after saying those words.

"Fobore has already issued an airspace warning. Ash, you need to think this through. You only have less than three hours left."

## Chapter 55: Preparing to Depart

Three hours to travel from Long Island to Block Isle, and also to persuade a general who was threatening to launch nerve gas at New York to change his mind.

This seemed like an impossible task, but Ash still brought it up, which forced Ross to think it over carefully.

“If you really want to do it, then go ahead, Ash. I hope you can pull off the miracle you did two years ago again. I’ll let Sheffield know, and Delta will escort you ashore.”

Ross seemed relieved after saying this; he didn't want to order bombs to be thrown at his protégés in order to resolve the crisis.

Now that only Ash is willing to come to the island, let's put our hopes on him; the situation can't get any worse anyway.

Ross, who hadn't slept all night after receiving news of the attack on the armory, hung up the phone wearily. Looking at a photo of himself with Sheffield from his younger days, he dialed Sheffield's number. He wanted to buy Ash some more time and help.

Ash hung up the phone and saw everyone looking at him like he was a hero, including Stark.

In times of crisis, it takes great courage to face fear and danger head-on. Everyone is waiting for Ash to set off to resolve the crisis.

However, Ash put down her phone and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I can't drive, who will drive?"

Ash's words somewhat disrupted the atmosphere. Cassell, who reacted instantly, was the first to rush out, grab Ash's wrist, and drag Ash out.

Ash leaned forward with all her might, resisting Cassell's pulling, and said to the agitated Cassell, "Caselle, let go. We have other problems, and we can't get to the island until they're resolved."

Upon hearing Ash's words, Cassell released Ash and stood there silently, staring intently at Ash, waiting for an explanation.

Ash could sense the immense fear and expectation emanating from this father; a complex mix of emotions swirled within him, just waiting for a spark to ignite them.

"Foboer issued a clear-air notice, and now any aircraft that can fly will be shot down, except for those with special military access codes."

The special pass code is only available to the six Super Hornets under Ross's command. They are now fully armed and ready to take off at any moment.

Furthermore, the relevant waters have been blocked off, and all ships are prohibited from passing through New York Harbor. Currently, there are no ships available on Long Island, so we are the only option to get through.

Ash's explanation made the seemingly insurmountable problem of transportation a major obstacle for Cassel, who was desperate to save his daughter.

Kassel has a small boat specifically for deep-sea fishing, but it's currently anchored in New York Harbor, heading in the opposite direction from Block Isle. Not to mention, boats are not allowed to leave port now.

Just as the silence was about to explode in Kassel, the flamboyant Stark stepped out from behind the crowd, stood in the center, coughed twice, and drew everyone's attention.

Stark said to Cassel with a hint of smugness, "Unless someone happens to be out at sea on their own yacht today, happens to have received a party invitation, and happens to be right in front of you."

Things always happen by chance. Today, Stark, who was hosting a swimsuit party on his yacht near Long Island, received a party invitation sent to all the community residents.

Stark happened to own investment properties in the community, so he skipped the swimsuit party on the yacht and came to Ash's party instead.

Furthermore, since Stark's yacht has always been outside the harbor and is not currently locked up inside, but is located in the near sea, it can serve as a means of transportation for Ash and Kassel.

"However, I have one request."

Stark hesitated for a moment, but Cassell rushed up and grabbed Stark's arm with both hands, saying, "I'll agree to anything I can do."

"I want to go with them."

No sooner had Stark finished speaking than Pepper, who was supporting Martha, screamed, "Tony, are you crazy?! There are nerve gas bombs planted up there, and you still want to go up there?"

Stark had always been a disobedient child, but his rush towards danger ignited Pepper's fury. At that moment, Pepper was like a roaring lioness, howling at Stark as if scolding her unruly cub.

“No, Pepper, I have to go with you. I’ve modified that yacht, and only I can drive it. Remember the brand-new steering ball technology?”

Stark originally planned to throw a swimsuit party on the yacht today just to test the new steering ball driving mode.