The sky was clear, and a private jet soared above the clouds. After a few hours, it landed in Los Angeles, the City of Angels, on the West Coast.
As the plane landed, Tony Stark, being the local host, welcomed the passengers.
"Welcome to the City of Angels, LA. During your stay here, all your expenses are on me!"
It was evident that compared to the sorrowful New York, Los Angeles gave Tony Stark a sense of security, and his generosity far surpassed that of Mr. Zhao.
After experiencing Deidara's "Patrick Star" self-detonation, Tony Stark was once again convinced that he had a serious clash with New York. Otherwise, with so many people around, it wouldn't have been just him getting blown away.
So, upon waking up, the first thing Tony Stark did was to persuade the Avengers to relocate from New York to Los Angeles, promising to take care of all accommodations there.
S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers didn't raise much objection.
New York had become a ruin. Leaving a few people behind for post-battle reconstruction and cleanup, relocating the majority of the organization to Los Angeles for operations made sense.
On Su Ye's end, Tony Stark casually suggested that the Great Wall Guardians might as well move to Los Angeles too, so they could watch each other's backs.
Initially, Tony Stark thought Su Ye wouldn't agree, considering that the Great Wall Guardians were backed by the Osborn Group, whose roots were in New York. Even though New York was reduced to ruins, rebuilding it was still an important mission and business, something they shouldn't easily give up.
To his surprise, Su Ye readily agreed.
Of course, Su Ye had no objections. New York was already a wasteland. What fun was it to fight in ruins? Even Spider-Man's webs wouldn't have anything to swing from.
It was better to move to the bustling Los Angeles, where Abomination could have a proper fight with Hoshigaki Kisame. It would give the Americans a taste of the Akatsuki's power and leave a little "gift" for the City of Angels.
After all, Los Angeles, like New York, was a renowned international metropolis. With New York destroyed by aliens, if Los Angeles didn't experience even a single explosion, it might come off as less significant.
Only by experiencing the same evening breeze could they truly be considered companions!
Thus, the Great Wall Guardians, together with the Avengers, boarded a plane and arrived in Los Angeles.
Both organizations' office spaces were provided by Tony Stark, and Su Ye had no objections to that.
After all, it was only temporary. Who knows when they might get destroyed again? The location didn't really matter.
Besides, Los Angeles was just one stop on their journey. The next stop could be San Francisco, Chicago, or even Washington, D.C., sooner or later.
As Su Ye and his team arrived in Los Angeles, a car was speeding along a cross-country highway towards the city.
At the car window, a man with face paint, a crooked smile, and hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in years leaned out, letting the wind blow against his face, flipping his lips to reveal yellowed teeth and gums.
It seemed like something dogs really enjoyed doing.
From this makeup, it was clear that the man was the Joker. He had been plotting something big in New York for a long time, even collaborating with Madame Gao, one of the Hand's Elders.
But plans couldn't keep up with changes. Before the Joker could execute his scheme, the Chitauri launched their attack, plunging New York into chaos with bombings and explosions everywhere.
Now, New York didn't even need the Joker's involvement to become a wasteland; its social order had completely collapsed.
This kind of societal chaos aligned perfectly with the Joker's ideology. However, with more than half of New York's population dead or injured and most of the survivors fleeing, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that only one in ten remained.
Given the choice between causing mayhem in a sparsely populated ruin or bringing down another bustling metropolis, the Joker didn't even need to think—he chose the latter.
Thus, he set his sights on Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the U.S., and enthusiastically began planning and investigating.
What kind of gang forces exist in Los Angeles? How could they be used? Especially Iron Man, Tony Stark—if he could be dragged into the chaos, that would be immensely entertaining.
What the Joker didn't know was that the superheroes had already headed to Los Angeles, and so had disaster.
At the same time, the members of the Akatsuki were also making their way to Los Angeles, each displaying their unique abilities.
The news Itachi brought back was that Jinchuriki Su Ye had discovered their presence and decided to flee, possibly returning to his home country.
Upon hearing this, the Akatsuki quickly decided to pursue and take immediate action.
Under no circumstances could they let Su Ye return to his homeland. Not only was it a forbidden zone for mercenaries, but it was also a no-go zone for rogue ninjas. Those who entered without permission rarely left alive.
Thus, they had to deal with Su Ye in Los Angeles; there could be no more delays.
While both sides were rushing to their destinations, Su Ye was leisurely strolling along the Hollywood Walk of Fame with his harem squad.
Superheroes are people too, and people have daily needs.
Not to mention the women in Su Ye's harem squad.
Gwen, Sharon, Raven, Hinata, and Mai Shiranui, who had rushed back from Japan after hearing about the alien invasion, were all present. These were the girlfriends Su Ye had unlocked, except for one—Catwoman, who was still at a negative affection level and wandering who-knows-where.
When five women gathered together, the scene was... indescribable.
Especially Gwen and Mai Shiranui—both believed they were Su Ye's one and only, and neither of them had Hinata's gentle temperament. Getting the two of them to peacefully coexist, let alone play cards together, was nearly impossible.
Hinata, being young, could only sulk silently and wait to grow up. As for Raven, she watched Su Ye's antics from start to finish, amused. The fact that she didn't add insult to injury was already generous; asking her for help? Not a chance...
Su Ye suspected that Raven might actually transform into his appearance and take action herself.
Modern people are so fragile—they can't even handle being cheated on by their clones, let alone by their own siblings.
Wait, if it's your own sister involved, does that technically count as cheating?
That might work, but the problem was, Raven might not go along with it.
With leverage in hand, why wouldn't she use it? She might even reveal everything halfway through just for fun.
No, better not to think about it.
Left with no choice, Su Ye had to multitask. He sent a clone to accompany Gwen, Sharon, Raven, and Hinata to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, checking out the handprints and footprints of celebrities.
Of course, the handprints and footprints were private property of the Chinese Theatre. Their value wasn't particularly high—barely better than fluff. Even obscure stars could leave their marks, showing how little prestige they actually carried.
The stars embedded in the sidewalk of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, however, were genuinely worth admiring.
It's said that, so far, only five people from China had earned stars, including Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.
These were worth a good look since you never know when they might be gone.
According to the intel from Itachi, the Akatsuki would arrive in Los Angeles within two days.
Su Ye had arranged for Abomination and Hoshigaki Kisame's battle to take place on the Walk of Fame—after all, it was a famous spot.
While his clone entertained Gwen and the others, Su Ye himself stayed with Mai Shiranui, engaging in some "activities related to human origins." That's as much as can be said on the matter.
After spending time with Mai Shiranui, Su Ye would switch places, sending a clone to take Mai to Disneyland while his real self returned to Gwen's group.
With Gwen, Sharon, and Raven, they couldn't make up a full mahjong table or even pair up for card games, so Su Ye had to entertain them one by one.
In this way, Su Ye's life was nothing if not hectic and fulfilling.
Especially Raven, whose public persona was "Su Ruiwen," a male and Su Ye's younger brother.
So even if the two of them acted intimately, Gwen wouldn't think much of it and would even praise the strong bond between the "brothers."
Raven took advantage of this guise, constantly dragging Su Ye to the bathroom with her. They would even sit side by side, spending over half an hour at a time, several times a day.
It got to the point where Gwen considered getting Raven some laxatives—she couldn't stay constipated forever.
Meanwhile, Su Ye used his clones to further familiarize himself with Professor X's and Magneto's abilities.
Primarily Magneto.
In the movies, Magneto had overturned massive ships and thrown bridges, showcasing metal manipulation on a scale of tens of thousands of tons.
There was no way Su Ye could let old Magneto outshine him.
Using Tony Stark's connections, he found an abandoned steel factory and began a series of skill-training sessions and technique-development tests.
After two days, the results were promising.
Balancing time with his girlfriends and training, Su Ye led a fulfilling and busy life, and two days passed in a flash.
Early that morning, Su Ye received a notification from Itachi: the Akatsuki had entered the city.
When Su Ye got the message, the background music around him was "The Devils Enter the Village." Hinata was engrossed in watching an anti-Japanese war drama, with the volume so loud that Su Ye felt a bit disoriented, as if stuck between timelines.
After coordinating the meeting spot with Itachi, Su Ye controlled a clone, driving a box truck toward the vicinity of the Walk of Fame.
This time, he didn't inform anyone, especially Tony Stark, the local boss. He wanted to give Abomination and Kisame enough time to fight to their heart's content and wreak havoc.
The Walk of Fame is a famous tourist attraction in Hollywood. Even on non-holiday weekdays, it's filled with people stopping to admire and take photos.
Recently, however, Chinese faces had become rare. Due to the attack on New York, China issued a safety advisory, resulting in the near disappearance of Chinese tour groups in Los Angeles.
In fact, not just Los Angeles, but across the entire U.S., it was now difficult to find many actual Chinese nationals.
The remaining ones were either Chinese-looking "bananas" (yellow on the outside, white on the inside) or people like Yang X, who found even the stench of America sweet and were devoted bootlickers.
If these people got caught in the crossfire, it would just be their bad luck.
Su Ye parked the truck near the Walk of Fame, got out, and, alone, headed into a theater gift shop to buy some movie memorabilia.
He didn't bother with any disguise, simply walking down the street in his true form.
At that moment, several figures appeared on a distant rooftop.
"He came out alone? Does he really think coming to Los Angeles means he's safe?"
Hoshigaki Kisame casually unsheathed his bandage-wrapped sword, Samehada, and grumbled before leaping straight off the rooftop.
"Let's go. I'll take the lead this time!"
The others said nothing, simply following Kisame as they jumped down after him.
After Deidara's death and Sasori's puppet being instantly defeated, they no longer believed they could handle Su Ye through one-on-one combat.
The five of them planned to start a group fight and end it quickly.
Kisame took the lead, swiftly traversing the rooftops. In no time, he neared Su Ye and, while airborne, quickly formed hand seals, completing a ninjutsu mid-air.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave!"
Kisame opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of water as if a dam had burst. A massive stream erupted, forming a waterfall that surged several meters high, roaring down the street toward Su Ye.
On the street, countless pedestrians and tourists were instantly knocked down by the massive wave. They were swept away by the torrent, crashing into utility poles and walls along the way. Many were rendered unconscious from drowning or repeated impacts.
Although Kisame looked like a giant fish, his ability to produce water was unparalleled. His Exploding Water Shockwave not only swept away countless people but also turned the entire street into a flooded zone, resembling Venice from afar.
After unleashing the water, Kisame once again performed hand seals mid-air to cast another jutsu.
"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
This time, Kisame transformed into a shark made entirely of water. He dove into the flood, his water-colored dorsal fin slicing through the surface as he rapidly approached Su Ye.
On the water's surface, countless unconscious people floated while Kisame, now a shark, used the water's cover to move stealthily, making it almost impossible to detect him.
Before long, Kisame closed in on Su Ye's position, formulating his attack strategy in his mind.
First, he would use the Thousand Feeding Sharks technique to summon thousands of sharks to besiege Su Ye, followed by a Great Exploding Water Shockwave to completely flood the surrounding area.
Finally, he would rely on the agility of the Water Shark Bullet Technique in the water and Samehada's full-release mode to drain Su Ye's chakra, leaving him utterly incapacitated.
The goal was to defeat Su Ye as quickly as possible to prevent interference from his so-called Guardians or Avengers.
Although the Akatsuki didn't fear the Guardians or Avengers, it was better to avoid unnecessary complications. Quick and decisive action was preferred.
Just as Kisame was about to launch the Thousand Feeding Sharks, a nearby box truck floating on the water suddenly burst open with a bang. A yellow-green monster emerged, crashing into Kisame and sending him flying through the water.
The yellow-green monster was none other than Abomination.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Abomination has appeared three times: The Incredible Hulk, Shang-Chi, and the She-Hulk series.
In the early The Incredible Hulk era, Abomination was essentially a giant with severe bone spurs, with his body showing the beginnings of an exoskeletal armor and bone spike weapons. However, by the time of Shang-Chi, his design underwent significant changes.
The most notable change was that he now wore shorts!
This marked a fundamental shift from The Incredible Hulk era. Did this mean the "retract into the body" or exoskeletal triangle protection concept was scrapped?
Besides the shorts, the other notable features were his fin-like ears and the dorsal fins on his back.
Though it's unclear what kind of emotional or aesthetic changes the writers underwent, Abomination did seem to be evolving toward a river monster appearance.
Thus, this version of Abomination wasn't hindered by water in the slightest; in fact, it seemed like water became his domain.
The watery environment created by Kisame's Water Release: Exploding Water Shockwave was instantly nullified as an advantage when faced with Abomination.