Marvel: Starting with the Glint-Glint Fruit

Natasha was able to counter any of his resistance.

As for Reicher, Nigley, Roseco, and the other two simply watched from the sidelines, with no intention of interfering.

"Spare me, Natasha, you are my most valued assistant."

“I have confessed everything. I still have a large amount of assets, which I can give to you.”

"Just let me go, just let me go."

Natasha forgot the skills she had learned; she was simply acting on instinct, driven by rage. This frenzied behavior and the physical pain caused Drekoff to howl and beg loudly.

Drekoff has never been a tough guy.

Or rather, few people can truly withstand the pain and suffering that comes with death.

The three of them exchanged glances, and Nigley shrugged, picked up his notebook, and walked out.

Reicher and Roseko followed closely behind, leaving only Drekoff and Natasha in the living room. The three of them thoughtfully closed the door behind them after they left.

Standing outside the villa, with the cold wind blowing, Nigley shivered and then nudged Rachel with his elbow.

Five minutes.

"Three minutes."

"Thirty seconds."

Negri and Reich looked at Roseco, who shook her head under their gaze: "She's not what you think."

Sure enough, less than twenty seconds later, a gunshot rang out.

The villa's gate was opened.

Natasha came out, her face devoid of sadness and hatred, only displaying an inexplicable calm.

"Thanks!!"

Looking at the three people in front of her, Natasha expressed her sincere gratitude.

She knew very well that Drekoff would be more useful alive than dead, especially given the peculiar ability Negri had demonstrated.

However, the three of them still chose to leave, leaving Natasha to decide Drekoff's fate.

Considering the cold and impersonal red room, this sincerity and respect make people feel even warmer.

Natasha didn't completely let down her guard, but at least her frozen heart was beginning to open.

With such a team, Matthew, as the leader, must also be a warm-hearted person.

“That kind of rotten guy deserves to die. Don’t worry, we can handle it even without him.” Negri, who had a very outgoing personality, walked up and put his arm around Natasha’s shoulder, making funny faces and winking.

Seemingly remembering something, he hurriedly left a message: "Contact us next time you want to go shopping; our boss is very generous."

After saying that, he immediately left the villa.

Natasha raised a delicate eyebrow and looked at Rachel, who met her gaze and said succinctly, "She likes you."

"Hey." Roseco slapped Rachel on the shoulder in an annoyed tone.

Then, taking over from Reicher, he explained, "Nigley has other missions, but he came here for this mission because of Drekoff's matter."

Natasha nodded.

"Will I get into trouble if I kill Drekoff?"

“No, his value lies with me.” Reicher was referring to the information that Nigley would transmit to him later, containing Drekoff’s memories.

After saying that, he added, "This time it's your turn to lead. The boss has instructed us not to interfere with your choices."

"Including them?"

Natasha turned her head and looked at Antonia, Drekoff's daughter, and several maids who were being held captive not far away.

"Including them."

Reicher nodded in agreement.

"I want to let them go."

After hesitating for a moment, Natasha finally spoke.

"Yes, we will find her a suitable adoptive family and erase her memory. She will live a normal life."

"Thank you."

"This is the meaning of a team."

Rachel didn't care about this. He was a soldier, and for him, the team was everything. This was simply what he was supposed to do.

Natasha felt a warmth in her heart.

A top-tier spy, she was a master of micro-expressions; she could tell that Rachel was telling the truth.

At that moment, Raiche's expression changed, and a sound came from the Bluetooth earphone in his ear.

"We have to go; someone will clean up the mess here."

"Where?"

Roseko asked, and Natasha immediately replied, "Go find someone; with her help, we can take over the entire Red Room very quickly."

"Then let's set off."

...................

The employees are working 996, while Matthew is slacking off?

No, he went to Yakutia, a small country in northeastern Russia.

This area is bordered by Krasnoyarsk Krai to the west, Magadan Oblast and Chukotka Autonomous Okrug to the east, and the Laptev Sea and East Siberian Sea to the north.

The most unique thing is that the environment here is extremely harsh.

The average temperature in January ranges from -28°C to -50°C, with the lowest temperature in the eastern mountainous areas reaching -70°C. It is one of the regions with the longest winter and the lowest temperature in the Northern Hemisphere.

It can be said that the lowest temperatures are colder than those of the North and South Poles.

The land is almost entirely permafrost, with an average thickness of 300 to 400 meters.

Harsh environments often temper a person's mind and body more effectively.

Matthew has been making a lot of moves these past few days, even recruiting the future superhero Black Widow Natasha. However, these are not Matthew's core base.

Matthew knew one thing deeply: everything he possessed came from his own abilities.

Therefore, one's own strength is the key.

He will never forget that.

Matthew's physical strength is already at the level of a vice admiral, and with his advanced three-color Haki and the Glint-Glint Fruit, he is only one step away from developing the Life Return ability, making him incredibly powerful.

But that wasn't enough for him.

He wanted to use the worst conditions during these specific times to hone himself.

Chapter Forty-Nine: Comprehending the Divine Skill—Life Return

The biting wind and heavy snow turned this area, known as Lake Rabinkel, into a desolate wasteland.

There is no human habitation here, only endless snow.

Humans cannot stay here for long; it is a closed basin in the mountains.

The entire basin is locked up by mountains, and the north wind brings in all the cold air from the Arctic Ocean, piling up at the bottom of the basin into an ice hell of -65°C.

In the center is a frozen lake covering tens of square kilometers, its surface frozen into an ice mirror 5 meters thick.

Yet, this seemingly hopeless place became the perfect training ground for Matthew.

The cold, like ice blades, constantly cut into his skin, and the freezing air continuously filled his lungs, trying to freeze him completely and make him a part of this place.

Unfortunately, his physique was too strong.

Beside the frozen lake, he wore only a thin vest and shorts, his body burning like a furnace, the intense heat even forming billowing white steam around him.

He held a chain in his hand, one end of which was locked to a huge rock weighing several hundred tons, and he dragged the boulder along the shore of the frozen lake.

A long ditch, plowed out by the tiller, was left along the way.

He didn't use any domineering aura or the power-generating techniques brought by the Six Styles; he simply used his body.

I ran around the frozen lake several times, and the heavy snow continued, with everything in sight a vast expanse of white.

After finishing the run, he wrapped chains around his upper body and carried the entire boulder on his back.

Carrying a boulder several times his own height, he appeared so small.

However, carrying this huge thing on his back, Matthew let out a strange cry and suddenly leaped up, the explosive force propelling him whooshing into the sky above the center of the frozen lake.

His body fell like a meteorite.

Rumble!

A terrifying burst of black lightning erupted, followed by a deafening roar as Matthew, carrying a giant rock, crashed through the thick ice and plunged straight into the lake.

Huge rocks fell from the sky, crashing into the frozen lake and sending towering columns of water flying.

The spray in the air was quickly frozen by the cold temperature, turning into ice crystals that fell down.

Matthew sank deeper and deeper into the gurgling water.

The official depth of this glacial lake is 320 meters. The lake has underground channels that connect directly to the Arctic Ocean.

After reviewing the information, it was precisely because of this lake that Matthew recognized it as an excellent place for training.

And that was indeed the case.

At a depth of 320 meters, the water pressure reaches 31 atmospheres.

Every inch of skin was being subjected to terrifying pressure, as if a small mountain was pressing down on it evenly, and flesh, bones, and internal organs were being slowly crushed.

An ordinary person wouldn't last even a second here; the water pressure would crush their chest cavity and burst their lungs.

However, for Matthew, it was the ultimate training ground for physical endurance.

This water pressure was sufficient to apply the appropriate pressure to him, not to mention he was carrying a rock weighing hundreds of tons.

For the first time in a long time, Matthew felt an unprecedented hardship.

But it was precisely this hardship that excited Matthew. He liked pressure because only with enough pressure could he maximize his growth.

He was at the bottom of the lake, carrying hundreds of tons of giant rocks on his back. Any movement he made would have a chain reaction, and the heavy pressure squeezed his entire body inside and out.

It was truly difficult, but he was exceptionally serious and focused to the extreme.

He felt the changes in every muscle, bone, internal organ, and cell in his body, and eventually, he reached a state of complete absorption.

Time passed little by little, and the sky over the frozen lake gradually darkened without anyone noticing.

Three or four hours passed in a flash.

The ice on the surface of the frozen lake has already frozen over again.

boom!!

The once calm lake water beneath the ice suddenly became turbulent. The next moment, a huge rock smashed through the ice, sending water spraying dozens of meters into the air, and Matthew's figure rushed out.

He flew into the air and arrived in front of the falling giant rock, then turned around and kicked out.

It slammed heavily onto the giant rock, creating a shockwave that sent the rock flying towards the riverbank.

Bang!

The giant rock crashed heavily onto the shore, sending up a flurry of snowflakes and icicles. Matthew's figure transformed into a golden beam of light, piercing through the darkness and snow curtain as he gracefully landed on the giant rock.

"hu~hu~"

Matthew slumped onto the giant rock, his chest heaving wildly as he gasped for breath. The cold air filling his lungs brought him immense comfort, a blend of frost and long-lost oxygen.

Unlike the low temperature, Matthew's blood was flowing rapidly throughout his body, turning his body into a furnace.

The scorching heat even dried out the already soaked vests and shorts in a short time.