Lord of Cinder in American Comics

Seeing this situation, Stark felt embarrassed. In the past, he would just say what he wanted and leave, and would never get involved with these pests.

"Ash, I..."

"It's alright. I have things to do today anyway. If I can't go out, someone will take care of it for me."

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Author's Remarks

Sorry for being so late today, I was really busy. I had an exploratory laparotomy at 2 PM, and it took me more than four hours just to untangle the intestines. I removed nearly 80 centimeters of necrotic intestine. I hope everyone takes care of their health and avoids excessive exercise while staying home during the pandemic.

2022-04-07 23:16

Chapter 162: Hill

Ash's meaning was that he would still need to go with S.H.I.E.L.D. to question his own Greedy clone today.

Now that Ash is trapped here by these reporters, he's naturally not the one in a hurry.

S.H.I.E.L.D. is now begging him for help, not Ash going on his own initiative; the power in this matter is now in Ash's hands.

Sure enough, not long after, a group of fully armed agents, driving their most conspicuous black Chevrolets, stopped one after another outside the sacrificial site.

A group of people dressed in black suits, black ties, and black sunglasses, some even with dark skin, surrounded the noisy group of reporters.

If things go wrong in Ami, just crouch down with your hands on your head; these reporters also have that habit.

At the original press conference location, S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel surrounded the reporters, scrutinizing their footage and press releases one by one.

Such a 'warning' was naturally interpreted by the journalists as official endorsement of Stark, and some journalists secretly called their superiors before being investigated to ask who these people were.

Those familiar with S.H.I.E.L.D. naturally instructed their subordinates to cooperate with the investigation. Those unaware simply held a grudge against these men in black suits, planning to settle the score later.

A S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet landed inside the walls of the Sacred Grounds.

The unusual variable-sweep wings and twin-turbo engines that give the fighter jet the ability to take off and land vertically and hover caught Stark's attention.

"Interesting, this design..."

While Stark was still thinking, Hill disembarked from the Quinjet and walked straight toward Ash, who was watching the spectacle.

Dressed in a form-fitting combat suit, Hill's powerful businesswoman demeanor, amplified by the airflow generated by the turbo engine, drew the attention of almost everyone.

"Ash, what's going on here at the time we agreed on?"

As expected, Hill's opening remarks were accusatory, which displeased Stark.

It was Stark who started this whole thing, and now someone is using it as a reason to hold Ashe accountable. This makes Stark feel it's necessary for him to step in and resolve the situation.

"Hey, hey, hey, ma'am? You've got the scene under your 'control' now."

Hill glanced at Stark, not taking him seriously. After all, she was now only responsible for the five representatives of the Security Council, making her one of the most powerful people on Earth.

Stark's attempt to draw attention away from the enemy had no effect whatsoever. Hill continued, "We should get going. We'll arrive at our destination just as the sun is at its highest."

Ash nodded and prepared to board the plane with Hill to leave. Stark secretly pulled Ash aside to ask her the reason for the situation.

"What exactly is going on? Is there something I don't know?"

Before Ash could answer, Hill interrupted Stark's little actions from the side.

“Stark, this isn’t your father’s S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. You’d better stay away!”

"What do you mean? My father's S.H.I.E.L.D.? You mean my father founded this organization?"

Stark's answer surprised Hill, since it was something that all the leaders of S.H.I.E.L.D. knew, but Stark, the founder's son, was unaware of.

Stark frowned and dialed Peggy Carter's number, because at this moment, she was the only one who could give him the right answer.

As Peggy Carter explained, Stark's brow gradually unfurrowed.

"Wait here for a moment, I'm going with you."

After saying that, Stark headed towards the sacrificial site, seemingly to put on his armor.

Before Hill could stop Stark, her communication was connected. Ash heard a voice on the other end that sounded exactly like Peggy Carter's and realized that the founder was trying to build a relationship with his successor.

Peggy Carter is the representative and idol of almost all female agents in S.H.I.E.L.D., so naturally, she has to be given that much face. Hill, having answered Peggy Carter's call, had no choice but to continue waiting for Stark with Ash.

Not long after, Stark, wearing his unfinished Mark armor, arrived in front of the two.

"Is this your new weapon, Stark?"

As soon as he appeared, Stark attracted the attention of all the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents; no one could resist such a cool suit of armor.

"No, to be precise, it's a prosthetic limb. The specifics depend on the laws of each state. If you requisition it, you're forcing me to sell my body, which falls under the category of prostitution."

The sharp-tongued Stark made Hill feel like she'd swallowed a fly the moment he opened his mouth. She wanted to get some information, but was instead met with a barrage of rebuttals.

After boarding the Quinjet, the aircraft quickly entered stealth mode and flew toward the target.

Stark, aboard the aircraft, used his armor to scan the entire structure of the plane without any hesitation, even providing his own modification plans while scanning.

"The power loss was too great. To save a little storage space, the engine was moved to the rear, forcing a shift in the power structure. All the wing loadouts were exposed, and folding the wings also forced a reduction in the number of weapons."

"Oh, look, there's even optical stealth here, making this plane disappear from the naked eye, but completely forgetting about the engine's infrared radiation..."

Stark dismissed the plane as worthless, and that was his assessment of it.

"In conclusion, this aircraft was designed to meet all mission requirements, so every conceivable piece of equipment was crammed in, resulting in it being able to participate in all missions, but that's all it can do."

Hill understood what Stark meant: this plane had no particular strengths; it was a jack-of-all-trades.

But this is a project created by Nick Fury, what does it have to do with Maria Hill? After this mission is over, I'll go to the World Security Council and file another complaint against Nick Fury.

Although the Quinjet was worthless in Stark's eyes, it still diligently led them to Nick Fury's secret base.

This is the Rainbow Pony Farm that Pierce and other World Security Council representatives know about; no one knows about Fury's other bases.

They landed on the farm, where the barn that Fury had crashed into with his fixed-wing plane was still in the same state, unrepaired.

Even half of that fixed-wing aircraft was left in the barn.

The neglected farm quickly showed signs of decay, with overgrown vegetation obscuring all traces of its former state.

After disembarking from the Quinjet, Maria looked at the documents in her hand and prepared to lead the group inside.

Looking at the empty farm, with only the Quinjet and a few people around her, Ash pretended not to know about the entire battalion of combat troops lurking in the distance, and once again displayed her dramatic nature.

"You're just going to walk into the base of an intelligence chief who's committing crimes against humanity like this?"

Hill looked at Ash, seemingly lost in thought, and then said, "Isn't it you I have here?"

Unexpectedly, Ash took a few steps back, waved his hand, and said, "First of all, I'm not confident that I can defeat the other party, and I'm not even confident that I can come out alive."

Chapter 163: I'm Here to Give You All a Buff

Ash's pessimistic words elicited disbelief from Stark and a frown from Hill.

Hill, recalling Ash's information, asked, "Didn't you crush them at the pentagonal building?"

Ash said with a wry smile, "Yes, I shattered the opponent's illusion, and the opponent even broke my miracle with a wave of their hand."

Stark was adjusting his weapons when he suddenly thought of Constantine from last night.

"What about Constantine? Didn't he fight alongside you against the last dimensional invasion?"

Ash spread his hands, shrugged, and said, "The mages are just maintaining dimensional security. Unless a major event like the one that threatened the entire Earth happens, no mage will step forward to disrupt this harmony."

After hearing Ash's explanation, Hill's brows remained furrowed, and she pinched the bridge of her nose to calm herself down, feeling somewhat irritated.

At the same time, seizing upon the key point in Ash's words, he asked, "What is harmony?"

"As you all learned last time, other dimensions exist in relation to Earth, but some of them have a much larger scope and influence than Earth. If they were to invade, Earth would have no way to resist them."

Long ago, the mages joined forces and built three great temples on Earth, using the support of the earth's ley lines to create a protective barrier for the planet.

Using this protective layer, the mages repelled invasion after invasion, and simultaneously reached an agreement with some of the powerful beings from different dimensions.

At this point, Ash hesitated, his expression clearly indicating that he was considering whether to continue.

Stark tried to reassure Ash, saying, "Ash, this is something that one or two people or those mages can't handle. We need to unite, unite all forces that can be united!"

“Alright, I’ll tell you. The agreement is that the powerful beings in these dimensions can use their clones, followers, or sacrifices to bring their power to Earth. As long as it doesn’t threaten the environment of the entire Earth, these mages will turn a blind eye.”

Ash's explanation silenced both Stark and Hill. Stark said incredulously, "So they just abandoned those Earthlings?"

Ash quickly waved her hand in denial, saying, "No, they are just the followers of those demons. The followers need to sacrifice themselves to gain power, and the demons need the followers. Originally, the mages planned to use this self-harming sacrificial summoning to reduce the number of demons that could reach Earth."

However, things didn't go according to the mages' plans. You have to understand, there are hundreds of legal religions in the entire United States right now, not to mention those that worship demons, there are probably thousands more.

Ash's words sent a chill down Stark and Hill's spines as they thought of the bizarre religious freedom environment of Ami, making them feel as if the sun overhead could no longer bring them warmth.

Why didn't you report this sooner?

Hill began his daily accountability process. This commander, who was accountable only to the World Security Council, was undoubtedly a good man—swift and tough, though somewhat blunt in his speech.

"The people who drafted the bill back then are still alive, not to mention that many more people have joined in now. Do you know how many 'Ha Ghost Tribe' members there are in New York City alone?"

Ash's words led to a new nickname, and Stark, curious, searched for related information online. Hill, however, already knew about the shady dealings involved and no longer denied Ash's words.

Taking a deep breath, Hill put aside his grudges and decided to deal with the immediate problem first, then signaled into the distance.

The battalion of troops that had been hiding in the distance quickly assembled in front of the three.

This army was fully armed and had all kinds of equipment. Even within Ash's perception range, a militia missile was already aimed at this place.

Hill's entourage also took two briefcases off the Quinjet and handed them to Hill.

The group had already thoroughly investigated the base's layout. With a small squad of soldiers leading the way, Ash and his two companions stood before the vault where the greedy were imprisoned.

Just as Hill was about to reach for the vault, Ash stopped her.

"Wait a moment, let me give you a buff."

Ash then summoned all the soldiers who were about to enter the vault with them and took out the Dragon Bell before them.

She kept muttering incomprehensible language, and clusters of light, along with the swaying of the Yorshka Bell, blessed the soldiers, Stark, and Hill.

Stark watched the ever-increasing data read by the detectors on his armor, felt the changes in his body, and sensed the different colored circles of light enveloping his body. He felt confident that this time he had it in the bag.

This time, the buff-granting action took Ash a full half hour to cast, from start to finish.

When it was over, everyone around was radiant, illuminating everything without the need for artificial light.