Chapter 124: Altering Perceptions, the Witch Slumps in Submission
The Star Umbrella private warship, cutting across the ocean, cleaved through the midnight waves, sailing smoothly upon the boundless sea.
The briny sea wind seeped through the unsealed gaps of the bridge, carrying with it the unyielding chill from the ocean's depths.
The lighting inside the bridge was dimmed to an extremely low lumen level, cold light sources casting upon the special alloy floor, reflecting a layer of stark metallic sheen.
Wanda stood barefoot at the edge of the console.
The floor temperature was low, that lifeless sensation creeping up from the soles of her feet.
Her calves trembled uncontrollably, her toes digging tightly into the seams of the metal plates.
The girl wore only that thin black silk slip dress, the already scant fabric utterly failing to block the night wind.
She hugged her arms across her chest, her entire body assuming a defensive posture of insecurity, even the rhythm of her breathing kept deliberately light, afraid of attracting anyone's attention.
Directly in front of her, Lin Nuo leaned against the panoramic floor-to-ceiling glass.
The cuffs of the man's custom-made black shirt were casually rolled up to his forearms, revealing lines of firm, explosively powerful, cold pale skin.
His long, distinctly knuckled fingers held a glass of whiskey on the rocks.
The ice cubes clinked against the glass walls within the amber liquid, producing a crisp sound.
This crisp sound was amplified infinitely within the silent bridge.
Wanda's back pressed directly against the cold metal wall.
She held an almost instinctive fear of this unhurried pace, always feeling that a catastrophic disaster would befall her the next second.
Natasha, swaying her waist, walked to Lin Nuo's side on ten-centimeter red-soled high heels.
The top female Agent held a high-transparency holographic tablet, the flickering blue light from the screen illuminating her beautiful face.
In the air, the cold, domineering scent of cedar from Lin Nuo's body effortlessly overpowered the briny smell of the sea wind.
Natasha spoke quickly, handing the tablet towards Lin Nuo.
"Boss, news from New York."
"The draft reports for tomorrow morning's publications from major global news agencies have all been compiled."
Lin Nuo didn't even lift his eyelids, his gaze still fixed on the churning waves outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Read."
A one-word command, devoid of even superfluous modal particles.
Natasha swallowed a mouthful of dry saliva, her fingers sliding across the screen, looking at those glaring bold black characters.
"The New York Times plans to release a headline at seven tomorrow morning, titled: 'Sokovia Suffers Worst Armed Intervention in History, the Atrocities of the Star Umbrella Group.'"
"The finalized draft from The Times is: 'Transnational Conglomerate's Military Overreach, the Blood and Tears Lament of Eastern European Civilians.'"
"Additionally, remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. have disseminated a large amount of information on the dark web."
"They've pinned the entire cause of the helicarrier crash on you, calling for the International Court and U.N. peacekeeping forces to intervene immediately, demanding a freeze on all Star Umbrella's overseas assets."
After Natasha finished reading the last line, a deathly silence, lasting over ten seconds, fell upon the bridge.
Only the dull thud of waves striking the hull continued to echo.
Wanda shrank in the corner, her heartbeat so fast it felt like it would leap from her throat.
She had witnessed firsthand what happened in Sokovia.
HYDRA's underground fortress was leveled by heavy firepower, an entire layer of the snow-capped mountain directly shaved off.
Those international communities and top media outlets, full of talk about benevolence and morality, would surely employ the most venomous vocabulary and the most massive public opinion machinery to condemn the tyrant before her.
No matter how substantial Star Umbrella's financial resources were, facing a global torrent of condemnation would undoubtedly be a public relations disaster that would shake them to their core.
Yet, Lin Nuo raised his glass and drained the whiskey in one go.
He turned, casually placing the empty glass on the metal console.
"A bunch of self-important fools wielding pens."
"Always think they can play savior deciding life and death by banging out a few big words on paper."
Lin Nuo's voice was lazy, showing no signs of being provoked.
The man took long strides.
The sound of leather shoes on the metal floor approached from afar, finally stopping before the main console.
His long, distinctly knuckled fingers tapped twice on the control panel with an air of indifference.
A massive holographic main screen descended from the dome, the display split into hundreds of independent small squares.
Each square showed an internal surveillance perspective from top news agencies across various countries.
In those brightly lit editorial offices, pot-bellied editors-in-chief were roaring at layout workers, while journalists frantically typed articles condemning Star Umbrella.
On their screens were all blood-red, enlarged fonts, every sentence denouncing this illegal military overreach.
Lin Nuo turned his head, his gaze crossing the wide console, landing on Wanda in the corner.
"Come here."
Two short words, carrying an undeniable pressure.
Wanda's body went weak, her feet feeling as heavy as lead.
But she dared not disobey this man's will.
She shifted her aching legs, walking step by step to Lin Nuo's side.
Lin Nuo reached out a large hand, gripping her slender waist that seemed barely a handful, pulling her forcefully into his embrace.
The man's body temperature was high; through the thin silk fabric, that scorching heat aggressively transmitted into the girl's skin, making her whole body flinch.
Lin Nuo lowered his head, his hot breath hitting Wanda's sensitive ear, sending a shivering tingle through her.
"Little wildcat, back in HYDRA's labs, you always thought your little red light was so destructive."
"Today, I'll teach you what true dominion over this Worldreally is."
As his words fell.
Within Lin Nuo's deep black pupils, a dense, inky crimson halo churned forth.
No lengthy incantations, no cumbersome rituals.
That violent, utterly law-defying dark red energy erupted directly from within Lin Nuo.
This energy pierced through the warship's heavy insulation layers, coursing along the vast, invisible global electromagnetic communication network, spreading to every corner of the Earth at a speed that defied scientific reason.
Pressed against his chest, Wanda watched helplessly as that red light enveloped all communication devices.
Her proud Chaos Magic, before this level of energy outpouring, was like a drop of Water facing an entire ocean.
This was the authority of creation, supreme above all else.
On the main control screen, those hundreds of surveillance feeds warped eerily at the same time.
New York, Manhattan, top floor of the News Building.
That editor-in-chief, who had been cursing at the layout worker, froze mid-action.
That invisible-to-the-naked-eye red light flashed within his pupils, coming from the computer screen.
The editor-in-chief's eyes lost focus for two seconds.
Then, he sat back down in his executive chair, placing his hands on the keyboard and typing rapidly.
He deleted the entire layout of the condemning front page, even cleaning up the draft completely.
A brand-new headline appeared on his computer screen.
Natasha, standing nearby, looked at that line of text, her red lips slightly parted, her breath even halting.
"Star Umbrella Group Invests Heavily in Humanitarian Demolition Project in Sokovia."
Not just New York.
The editorial offices of Le Figaro in Paris, the BBC building in London, the headquarters of news agencies in Berlin.
All editors-in-chief, senior editors, and columnists stopped their actions simultaneously.
Their perceptions, memories, and underlying logic were forcibly deconstructed, reassembled, and overwritten by a domineering force.
Not a single person raised an objection.
Not a single person found any issue with the logic.
The layout interface of The Washington Post changed to: 'S.H.I.E.L.D. Legacy Hazards Erupt, Major Gas Explosion Caused by Operational Error, Star Umbrella First to Intervene in Search and Rescue.'
The headline of The Times was replaced with: 'Thirteen European Nations Jointly Call to Thank Star Umbrella, Dawn of Comprehensive Reconstruction for Eastern European Slums.'
Text, images, video footage.
All electronic archives and paper drafts were physically twisted by the red light.
Original photos of ruins became construction sites for infrastructure; massive bomb craters became planned ecological artificial lakes.
The condemnations poised to unleash a global storm of public opinion turned into a uniformly orchestrated chorus of praise.
Leaning against Lin Nuo's chest, Wanda watched this scene that defied all reason.
Her worldview was utterly crushed.
Before this man, so-called truth, so-called international law, were merely cheap toys he could smear at his fingertips.
He couldn't even be bothered to deploy a PR team for explanations, nor did he need to dispatch armies for suppression.
He needed only a single thought to implant a brand-new logic he desired into the minds of all humanity.
Extreme fear mixed with a shuddering, morbid dependency grew wildly within Wanda's heart.
She clutched tightly at the hem of Lin Nuo's shirt, her legs completely losing the strength to stand, most of her body hanging onto the man's solid arm.
She dared not flee, didn't even dare to entertain the thought of escape.
Before this deity who could casually alter even thoughts, clinging to him became the sole law of survival.
Feeling the girl in his arms go completely limp, Lin Nuopressed his large, distinctly knuckled hand against the small of her back with measured force.
He raised his hand.
On the massive holographic screen, those busy editors began methodically feeding these "new truths" into printing presses and pushing them to global internet portals.
When the Sun rose tomorrow, the entire World would cheer for the greatness of Star Umbrella.
Lin Nuo casually swiped his long finger along the edge of the console.
All surveillance feeds extinguished, reverting to black screens.
The bridge returned to its cold-toned lighting, only the sea wind still blowing.
The man tilted his head, his gaze passing over Wanda's disheveled red hair, landing on the already stunned Natasha beside them.
"See."
Lin Nuo's voice was deep, imbued with an absolute, lofty authority.
"This is the rule!"
Chapter 125: Wine-Stained Lips, You Stay Tonight
Long Island Manor, New York.
A massive crystal chandelier hanging from the dome cast a lavish, warm glow.
Wanda stood barefoot on a thick Persian wool rug.
She had changed into a form-fitting black velvet gown with a dangerously low neckline, exposing a vast expanse of pale skin to the air.
In her hands, she held a heavy crystal decanter; the chill of the glass surface crept up her fingers all the way to her forearm.
At the far end of the ten-meter-long black rosewood dining table, Lin Nuo sat in the master seat that represented absolute authority.
The cuffs of his bespoke black shirt were casually rolled up, revealing the solid lines of his forearms.
The man hadn't touched the cutlery before him, merely propping his chin with one hand, his gaze idly sweeping over the sides of the table.
Wanda stood less than half a step behind and to his side, her breathing even held deliberately light.
The air was thick with the aroma of premium white truffle and seared Wagyu beef, mingled with the expensive perfumes of different women, all ultimately overpowered by the cold, domineering scent of cedar emanating from Lin Nuo.
To the left of the table, Pepper Potts wore a pure white backless evening gown.
The minimalist cut of the fabric hugged the slender curves honed by years of fitness training.
This former CEO, once second only to one man at Stark Industries, was now carefully using silver cutlery to slice a piece of bloody steak, placing it onto the bone china plate before Lin Nuo.
"The defense trusteeship agreements for fourteen European nations were fully notarized four hours ago."
"The underlying logic code of Star Umbrella has already taken over their missile defense systems."
Potts's voice wasn't loud, her tone carrying the efficiency characteristic of a career woman.
Yet when she looked at Lin Nuo, her beautiful eyes were filled with undisguised flattery.
Sitting beside Potts, Gwen Stacy was not to be outdone.
The young girl wore a dark green strapless gown, her long legs crossed beneath the table.
"We've also secured joint law enforcement authority with the New York Police Department."
"Now, all street patrols in Manhattan have to answer to the Security Division of Star Umbrella."
Gwen pushed a glass of warm water toward Lin Nuo's side, leaning forward slightly. The chandelier's light fell upon her, making that youthful sharpness particularly conspicuous.
"As for my father, I've already had him sign an early retirement agreement."
"Starting tomorrow, there will be only one voice in New York's underground order."
Listening to these reports that could shake the global political landscape, Wanda's fingers unconsciously tightened around the slender neck of the decanter.
She had heard Baron Strucker roar countless times in HYDRA's underground Bases about destroying these mega-corporations and powerholders.
But now, these women standing at the pinnacle of human society were doing everything in their power to please the man before them.
The atmosphere on the right side of the table was completely different.
Jane Foster pushed several holographic data panels toward the center of the table.
She wore a burgundy silk blouse today, three buttons undone, exuding an intellectual yet lethally attractive air.
"The analysis progress of the Asgardian energy matrix is stuck at seventy percent."
Jane adjusted her blue-light-blocking glasses on the bridge of her nose, her gaze fixed directly on Lin Nuo.
"I need to mobilize the full production capacity of the group's Vibranium mine in South Africa to construct a new particle collider Base."
"The budget approved by President Potts is nowhere near sufficient."
This statement carried a clear note of provocation, flying directly across the table toward Potts.
Potts set down her cutlery, a businesslike stiffness appearing on her coldly beautiful face.
"Every single resource of Star Umbrella has a strict allocation plan."
"Dr. Foster, that collider project of yours burned through twelve billion dollars just last week, and the output was nothing but a few sheets of scrap paper."
"Scientific research is inherently built on resource expenditure."
Jane refused to back down.
Susan Storm sat beside Jane.
This top-tier woman with invisibility and force field abilities wore a form-fitting black knitted bodycon dress.
She picked up a napkin to dab the corner of her mouth and joined the fray.
"If Dr. Foster's matrix analysis succeeds, Star Umbrella will completely master cross-galactic teleportation technology."
Susan tilted her head, her gaze settling on Potts.
"President Potts, you need to think long-term."
"What do Earth's assets amount to in the face of Universe-level technology?"
"You're in charge of spending; I'm in charge of managing the accounts."
Potts's tone was icy.
"Without Star Umbrella's financial backing, you couldn't even pay the electricity bill for your lab."
Four exceptional women were locked in a stalemate at the table.
Their barbed words, seemingly a fight for corporate resources, were all actually probing the limits of the man seated at the head of the table, each vying to capture his attention for one more second.
Wanda felt suffocated by the oppressive, battlefield-like atmosphere.
She was just a refugee dragged from the ruins of Eastern Europe.
She lacked the means to command hundreds of billions in assets like Potts and Gwen, nor did she possess the era-transcending scientific intellect of Jane and Susan.
The Chaos Magic she prided herself on was nothing more than a parlour trick before this man.
Intense feelings of inferiority and the fear of being controlled intertwined.
"Pour the wine."
A low, husky voice sounded by her ear.
Wanda's body gave a violent shudder.
She snapped back to reality, realizing Lin Nuo had, at some point, leaned back in his chair.
The man's large hand rested casually on the edge of the table, an empty wineglass held between his index and middle fingers.
She hurriedly stepped forward.
In her nervousness, her slender ankle caught on the wool rug.
The decanter tilted.
Dark red wine poured into the wineglass, but because her wrist trembled, a drop splashed over the rim, landing on the cuff of Lin Nuo's expensive bespoke black shirt.
The red stain spread across the dark fabric.
The four women who had been arguing fell silent instantly.
A deathly stillness descended upon the vast dining room.
Potts, Gwen, Jane, Susan—four pairs of eyes fixed on Wanda in unison.
That gaze, mixed with scrutiny, pity, and even a touch of schadenfreude, sent shivers crawling across Wanda's scalp.
She had messed up.
In this place where even breathing depended on Lin Nuo's mood, she had soiled the tyrant's clothes.
"I'm sorry..."
Wanda's voice trembled, a film of tears misting her eyes.
She set down the decanter, flusteredly pulling a snow-white napkin from the table, intending to wipe the wine stain from the man's cuff.
"I didn't mean to..."
"Let me clean it for you..."
Before her fingers could touch the fabric, the man's large hand shot out, precisely seizing her slender wrist.
Lin Nuo's grip wasn't heavy, but it carried an inescapable sense of restraint.
Wanda froze in place, not daring to move an inch.
She lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes, awaiting the impending punishment.
Lin Nuo did not lose his temper.
He released Wanda's wrist, his long, bony fingers swiping over the wine-stained cuff of his own sleeve.
His fingertip was stained with that rich, dark red.
Then, the man's hand rose.
Under the watchful eyes of the four women at the table, Lin Nuo pressed his wine-stained fingertip against Wanda's pale lips.
Rough calluses rubbed against tender skin.
Lin Nuo deliberately smeared that drop of wine onto the girl's lips. The action wasn't rough, yet it radiated a suffocating sense of possessiveness and the intent to tame.
The fragrance of wine spread between her lips.
Wanda closed her eyes, unable to even muster a thought of resistance.
She could only let the man's finger linger on her lips, spreading that red into a seductive sheen.
"You can't even pour a glass of wine properly."
Lin Nuo withdrew his hand, grabbing a napkin to wipe his fingertips.
His tone remained lofty, lazy, and indifferent.
"HYDRA raised you to be too inept."
There wasn't a trace of anger in the words, only a permissive indulgence.
The other four women at the table watched, their breathing rhythms all thrown into disarray.
They had been vying for his attention all evening, only for it to be effortlessly snatched away by this clumsy newcomer.
Potts bit her lower lip.
Jane clenched the holographic panel in her hand.
The sour tang of jealousy spread through the air.
The women were just about to speak again, to steer the topic back to themselves.
*Ting.*
Lin Nuo raised his hand, his slender index finger lightly flicking the crystal wineglass before him.
A crisp sound of glass striking glass reverberated through the spacious dining room.
That one tiny action.
Potts swallowed her words.
Jane put away her data panel.
Gwen and Susan straightened their postures.
Four top-tier women who held absolute authority in this World, upon hearing that single tap, withdrew all their sharp edges, jealousy, and petty schemes completely.
In its place was extreme docility and submission.
Lin Nuo didn't need to shout loudly or use violence to suppress.
He only needed to sit here, tap a glass, to make these proud souls obediently kneel at his feet.
Watching this scene, Wanda's heart was filled with unparalleled shock.
In this man's domain, only his will was absolute.
Everyone else, regardless of their intelligence or the wealth they commanded, was merely a possession to be toyed with at his fingertips.
Any thought of escape within her was utterly extinguished.
"Tonight's reports end here."
Lin Nuo picked up that glass of red wine, tilting his head back for a sip.
"The European reconstruction plan and the resource allocation for the collider—submit a unified proposal to my study tomorrow morning."
Potts stood up, her movements flawlessly precise.
"Yes, boss."
Jane and Susan also rose.
"We'll prepare it right away."
The women very tactfully withdrew from the dining room.
Before leaving, their gazes lingered on Wanda for a brief second.
Then, the heavy oak doors closed.
Only Lin Nuo and Wanda remained in the dining room.
Warmth enveloped her, yet Wanda felt a chill rising from the soles of her feet.
She kept her head down, her hands desperately twisting the hem of her velvet gown, awaiting the man's next command.
Lin Nuo set the wineglass in his hand down on the table.
The man's tall frame stood up. His leather shoes tread on the carpet as he walked step by step to stand before Wanda.
An overwhelmingly oppressive aura descended.
Lin Nuo reached out, his long, bony fingers lifting the girl's delicate chin.
The gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses was deep and unfathomable.
"Do you understand the rules of this place now?"
Lin Nuo's low, scorching voice fell by her ear.
Wanda's eyelashes fluttered incessantly, her voice carrying a nasal tone of complete submission.
"I understand..."
"Good."
Lin Nuo's large hand slid down, gripping her impossibly slender waist, pulling her closer into his embrace.
The man's thin lips brushed against her earlobe, leaving behind an unrefusable command.
"Tonight, you stay."
Chapter 126: Dual Possession, Wanda Completely Falls
The heavy oak double doors completely shut out all external noise.
Inside the spacious dining room, the silence was so profound that only the sound of breathing remained.
Wanda stood barefoot in place, the hem of her black velvet gown pooling at her feet.
Lin Nuo's tall figure approached, the muffled thud of his leather shoes on the Persian carpet striking against her taut nerves with every step.
There was no superfluous chatter.
Lin Nuo bent down, scooped her up horizontally in his long arms.
A sudden sensation of weightlessness washed over her, and Wanda instinctively reached out, wrapping her arms tightly around the man's broad neck.
Her nostrils were filled with that cool, highly aggressive scent of cedar, wrapping around her completely, leaving no room for escape.
...
Walking through the corridor covered in long-pile plush carpet, the door to the Master bedroom was kicked open by Lin Nuo's long leg.
The door hinges emitted a faint friction sound.
This was an absurdly large room.
There was no unnecessary furniture.
In the very center of the room, there sat a massive custom-made waterbed.
Cold-toned moonlight filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling over the dark gray silk bedding.
Lin Nuo mercilessly tossed the girl in his arms into the center of the bed.
The water, impacted by the force, immediately displaced outward, only to rebound just as quickly.
The violent undulation of the water caused Wanda to cry out in surprise.
Her already weak waist lost all sense of balance, and she tumbled along with the rocking mattress, finally ending up lying awkwardly on the silk bedding.
This sense of powerlessness, where she couldn't even control her own center of gravity, amplified the panic in her heart tenfold.
Lin Nuo pressed one knee onto the edge of the waterbed.
The mattress tilted again, and his tall shadow completely enveloped Wanda.
The man's knobby fingers rested on his collar, unhurriedly unbuttoning the high-end black shirt stained with red wine.
The faint sound of buttons being undone was like a countdown in the silent room.
The shirt was tossed onto the carpet, revealing a cold, white, well-defined body that contained terrifying explosive power.
Wanda swallowed a mouthful of dry saliva.
Under the extreme pressure, the Chaos Magic within her, still uncontrolled, was stimulated and began to churn on its own.
Wisps of dark red light spilled from her fair fingertips.
These energies, like startled snakes, darted chaotically through the air, attempting to construct a weak barrier in front of her to block the external enemy.
Lin Nuo watched that pitiful red light, a mocking snort rolling from his throat.
He reached out with his long arm, completely ignoring the defense, his large palm piercing straight through the red light to grab Wanda's slender wrist.
Two completely different energies collided directly at this moment.
The pure magic within Lin Nuo, belonging to the level of a Creator, poured in with the force of an avalanche through the point of skin contact.
The inferior magic at Wanda's fingertips, when encountering this absolute authority, didn't last even half a second before being shattered and devoured like dry wood.
"Ugh..."
Wanda groaned, feeling the meridians of her entire arm burning hot.
A more terrifying scene unfolded.
The magic Lin Nuo released materialized in the air of the Master bedroom.
Thousands of thick, crimson magical threads intertwined out of thin air.
Driven by the Master's will, they climbed up along Wanda's ankles and calves.
These threads did not cut her skin, but carried a tangible temperature, loosely wrapping around her limbs and firmly pinning her to the rocking waterbed.
This was an unquestionable, complete imprisonment.
"You can't even control your own energy."
Lin Nuo leaned down, his scorching breath pressing in.
The man's breath fell against Wanda's ear, sparking an unspeakable tremor.
"That bunch of trash from HYDRA taught you nothing except using you as a disposable battery."
"Tonight, I will tutor you myself."
Without giving Wanda any time to react, Lin Nuo's long finger pressed against her brow.
A crimson rune suddenly lit up.
A buzzing sound exploded deep in her mind.
This was not ordinary suppression, but a high-dimensional energy baptism.
Lin Nuo used the most direct magical pulse to guide the fusion of the two forces.
Every injection of pure energy mercilessly shattered the magical nodes within Wanda that had hardened due to fear and defense.
The waterbed surged violently.
The muffled sound of water crashing and the buzzing of magical resonance intertwined, echoing in the spacious Master bedroom.
The crimson threads suspended in the air vibrated wildly with the energy resonance.
These threads were no longer just simple restraints.
They began to seep into Wanda's magical circuits, resonating with her bloodlines and nerve endings.
Every injection of external magic would stir up a gorgeous dark red halo on the surface of her skin.
This was a spectacle that transcended scientific common sense.
The radiance of magic flowed between the two, illuminating the entire room as if it were a fanatical altar.
Wanda's forehead was covered in sweat, her red hair soaked through and sticking to her cheeks in strands.
It was too hot.
Not only was the air scorched hot by the magic, but the immense energy coursing through her limbs made her feel as if she were about to melt into the waterbed.
"Follow my rhythm!"
Lin Nuo's voice was raspy to the extreme, carrying an irresistible command.
Wanda's dark eyes had long since lost their focus.
All her pride, wildness, and fear of the future were ground to dust in this continuous washing.
She had no power to withstand this level of gift, and could only follow her body's instincts, trembling as she clutched the silk bedding beneath her.
The Chaos Magic within her was originally manic and destructive.
But under Lin Nuo's overwhelming energy conditioning, those manic factors were forcibly stripped away.
Replacing them was absolute obedience.
Her magic began to actively accommodate Lin Nuo's rhythm, winding around the man's magical trunk like a docile vine.
Wanda felt like a lone boat in a storm, ready to capsize at any moment.
And Lin Nuo was the only anchor in this raging ocean.
She could only cling tightly to this overwhelming power, crying and whimpering, letting the man's energy completely shatter the magic within her and reshape it into a form entirely under his control.
This was a comprehensive reshuffling from will to soul.
When the energy resonance between the two climbed to its peak, Wanda let out a scream of extreme shattering.
Her originally chaotic and messy Chaos Magic completely calmed down, docilely merging with Lin Nuo's magic, never to be separated again.
The waves of the waterbed gradually subsided.
The blinding crimson light in the room also receded, retreating entirely back into Lin Nuo.
Lin Nuo withdrew his hand and leaned against the headboard.
He pulled the silk quilt from the side and covered Wandawith it casually.
The red-haired girl in his arms was completely exhausted, unable to lift even a finger.
She kept her eyes closed, her breathing weak, with large patches of abnormal flush remaining on her cheeks.
After this hours-long magical development, Wanda was like a completely tamed house cat.
She didn't even have any subconscious defenses left.
Her nose nudged close to Lin Nuo's chest, following that cedar scent she craved, instinctively burrowing into the man's embrace.
She found the most comfortable position and fell into a deep sleep.
Just in this tranquil afterglow, a grand and crisp mechanical voice exploded on time deep in Lin Nuo's mind.
[Ding-dong! System detects that the target's core magichas completed perfect assimilation!]
[Will synchronization index has reached the upper limit! Target's psychological defense has completely hit zero!]
[Wanda interception progress: 100%!]
[Chaos Magic effect enhanced!]
Chapter 127: Asgard Collapses, The Rabid Dog Bows Its Head
New York, Manhattan, the top-floor laboratory of Star Umbrella.
The shadowless lamps were stark white.
Inside the spacious room, various high-precision instruments continued to operate, the sound of low-frequency electrical currents intertwined.
The air was filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant, yet it was completely suppressed by the cold, domineering cedar scent on Lin Nuo.
Jane Foster slid several holographic data panels to the center of the console.
She had changed out of the wine-red silk shirt she wore at the banquet last night, wearing a minimalist white lab coat instead.
The collar was left unbuttoned by three buttons as usual, the edge of her black lace inner wear intruding brazenly into view.
She stepped in ten-centimeter pointed high heels, standing beside that metal experimental table worth tens of millions of U.S. dollars, her hands quickly manipulating the complex parameter sliders.
"The energy wavelength analysis of the Tesseract is stuck again."
Jane's knuckles tapped against the metal edge of the console, her speech rapid.
She turned her head, her gaze glued to Lin Nuo.
"The transport ship with South African Vibranium hasn't arrived yet."
"Without a high-purity carrier, the matrix base cannot withstand that level of energy discharge."
Lin Nuo's long legs were slightly bent, leaning against the metal console.
He didn't even look at those complex wavelength charts.
The man reached out his large, bony hand, his long fingers directly inserting into Jane's meticulously groomed hair.
The rough calluses on his fingertips pressed against the back of her head, and with a slight application of force, he forcefully pressed her towards himself.
The distance between the two closed to less than an inch.
Jane's breathing lost its rhythm.
She braced her hands on the edge of the console, her body leaning back.
The fabric of the lab coat tightened accordingly.
"You can't even handle an energy wavelength."
Lin Nuo's tone was languid, his hot breath hitting Jane's side profile entirely.
"Dr. Foster, should I consider finding someone smarter to take over this laboratory?"
Jane bit her lower lip.
The panic of being denied by a superior overwhelmed the rationality brought by years of scientific research.
"Give me three more days... no, two days."
She took the initiative to lift her chin, exposing her slender, fragile neck completely to the man's line of sight, rubbing against Lin Nuo's palm in a humble posture.
"As long as the materials are in place, I guarantee I can build an intergalactic transport channel."
Lin Nuo didn't speak.
His long fingers pressed down along her cervical spine, one vertebra at a time.
Each press was neither light nor heavy.
The soft flesh on Jane's back tightened.
She dared not dodge, dared not resist, and even dared not make a sound of breathing that was too loud.
In front of this man, the three doctoral degrees she was proud of were useless.
The only bargaining chip that allowed her to stand here steadily and mobilize the world's top scientific research resources was absolute obedience.
She even craved this kind of dominated contact.
That was the only recognition of her existence.
A piercing alarm sound tore through the dead silence of the laboratory.
The blue lights on the console all turned into a glaring blood red.
The alarm lights flashed frantically.
"Beep—beep—beep—"
High-decibel buzzing exploded in her brain.
Jane staggered, her high heel twisted, and she fell beside the console.
She didn't care about her composure, using both hands to grab the metal tabletop and climb up, her gaze fixed straight at the huge holographic projection wall in the center.
On the screen, the energy line that was originally fluctuating smoothly rose vertically at an angle that defied mathematical logic, directly breaking through the display limit of the chart.
Red warning pop-ups appeared one after another, filling the entire screen densely.
"Asgard energy monitoring matrix..."
Jane's voice carried a heavy crack.
"It's overloaded!"
"And it's a destructive-level overload!"
Before the words fell, the light above her head went completely dark.
Lin Nuo looked up.
Through the panoramic tempered glass dome of the laboratory, the morning in New York was no longer clear and sunny.
The entire sky was forcibly covered by a strange, miserable green cloud layer.
Those green clouds did not follow any meteorological patterns, swirling frantically in a vortex.
In the center of the clouds, dark thunderclouds were gathering.
There was no thunder.
Only extreme high pressure that made people unable to breathe.
The temperature dropped suddenly.
Bone-chilling cold wind poured into the laboratory from an unknown ventilation duct.
Jane hugged her arms, her nails digging into the fabric of her lab coat.
That miserable green sky light shone on her face, reflecting a deathly grey.
Her heart was beating violently in her chest, and the blood in her veins seemed to be freezing.
Lin Nuo had one hand in his suit pocket.
He didn't bother with the peak data on the monitoring instruments that were about to jump off the screen, his gaze piercing through the glass, staring directly at the vortex.
There wasn't even a ripple in the eyes behind the man's gold-rimmed glasses, coldly watching this meteorological anomaly known as the Asgard level.
A deafening roar rolled down from the high altitude.
It was some kind of massive object, carrying the potential energy to destroy everything, smashing towards the ground.
A blinding seven-colored afterglow tore through that layer of miserable green thunderclouds.
This beam of light was extremely dim, lacking the holiness of an Asgard arrival, looking more like the exhaust flame of some struggling escape pod.
"Boom!"
The top-floor titanium alloy armor plate that Star Umbrellawas proud of was as fragile as a thin sheet of paper under this impact.
The harsh sound of metal twisting and breaking resounded throughout the floor.
Huge concrete chunks mixed with titanium water melted by high heat smashed fiercely into the spacious laboratory along with that meteorite-like heavy blow.
Broken glass splashed everywhere.
Jane screamed and crouched under the console, covering her head with both hands.
Thick smoke billowed.
The pungent burnt smell overwhelmed the scent of disinfectant.
The emergency ventilation system started.
Huge fan blades cut through the air, forcibly extracting the smoke and dust in the central area.
A huge impact crater appeared in the center of the laboratory.
All the high-strength plastic steel plates on the surface collapsed, exposing the load-bearing steel bars underneath.
Several broken cables were still sputtering blue electrical sparks outward.
At the bottom of the pit, a huge black shadow slowly squirmed.
It was a person.
A tall, rugged man.
He was wearing the unique royal armor of Asgard.
Now, this armor had long since become a pile of useless scrap metal.
The left shoulder armor was completely shattered, with sharp metal barbs deeply embedded in his flesh.
Fresh blood flowed down his arm, accumulating into a pool of dark red blood on the floor.
He didn't have his proud red cape, nor that Stormbreaker that could summon thunder across the sky.
The man used all four limbs, like a wild dog that had lost three legs, crawling up bit by bit from the bottom of the pit that was emitting black smoke.
Every movement dragged a long bloodstain on the floor.
He let out a wheezing breath from his mouth, each breath accompanied by a large amount of blood foam spilling from the corners of his mouth.
Jane poked her head out from under the console.
When she saw the person's face clearly, she covered her mouth, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
She couldn't believe her eyes at all.
How could that God of Thunder, who was once high-spirited and fought against the entire Chitauri fleet with his own power, become like this?
Thor finally crawled out of the edge of the pit.
He fell heavily onto the floor.
Face up.
That face, which was always shrouded in a holy halo, was full of mud and blood.
What was even more terrifying was his right eye.
A deep, bone-revealing vertical laceration ran from his forehead all the way to his cheekbone.
That eyeball that could once peer into the Nine Realmswas gone, leaving only a blood hole that kept gushing black blood.
Tragic.
Disheveled.
His intact left arm pressed hard on the ground, with blue veins bulging on the back of his hand.
His fingernails scratched a harsh friction sound on the floor.
Lin Nuo took a long step.
His leather shoes stepped on the broken glass shards, making a crisp crunching sound.
He walked step by step to Thor.
Looking down from above, his gaze didn't even linger for a moment on that bloody, mangled eye socket.
This was a kind of indifference that was more hurtful than mockery.
The high-and-mighty Thor now didn't even have the qualification to make him glance sideways.
Lin Nuo didn't speak.
He just stood there quietly, his high-end suit spotless.
He used this near-cold-blooded posture to declare the absolute ownership of this territory.
Thor raised his chin with difficulty.
The only remaining left eye was full of bloodshot.
He looked at this chaebol ruler in front of him, wearing a high-end suit, without a single strand of hair out of place.
Once upon a time, he looked down on Earth as a god, thinking that humans were just ants that needed protection.
But now.
Thor's wrist went limp, and his upper body completely collapsed.
His knees hit the floor full of gravel heavily.
The deity abandoned all dignity.
He lowered the head that had only bowed to Odin, kneeling at Lin Nuo's feet.
Heavy panting brought out the sound of a broken bellows in his throat.
He pressed his hands on his blood-stained thighs, his dry lips pulling apart.
Every word he spat out carried thick despair.
"Hela has returned."
"Asgard... is finished."
Chapter 128: Reduced to a Stray Dog, Acquiring the Realm of Gods Is More Interesting
Blood foam sputtered from Thor's throat along with that final syllable, landing on the gravel-strewn floor.
The smell of blood immediately permeated the air.
Lin Nuo stood before him, the tips of his tailored leather shoes less than two centimeters from the pool of blood.
This CEO of Star Umbrella Group, who held global power firmly in his palm, did not even blink, nor did he have any intention of helping up this once arrogant god.
He raised his right hand, his slender, fair index and middle fingers crossing casually as he snapped them with a crisp sound.
"Snap."
As the crisp sound rippled through the air, the devastated top-floor laboratory underwent a reconstruction that completely defied the fundamental logic of matter.
Those titanium alloy armor plates, melted and twisted by high heat, flattened and extended as if the timeline had been reversed, reconstructing themselves into an impenetrable protective dome.
The scattered glass shards rose from the ground, flowing against gravity to piece themselves back into flawless panoramic tempered glass.
The blinding sparks extinguished, and even the scorched particles in the air were forcibly erased.
Only the meteorite crater that had been smashed out was deliberately preserved.
At the edge of the pit, a set of classic European-style leather sofas appeared out of thin air for no reason.
On the low mahogany table, there was even a set of steaming white porcelain tea set.
This was the absolute authority that only a Creator could exercise.
Lin Nuo sat down on the single sofa, crossing his long legs, his posture as leisurely as if he were attending a high-end afternoon cocktail party.
He picked up the cup of black tea and sniffed it at the tip of his nose.
The mellow aroma of Ceylon black tea was completely out of place with the tragic atmosphere around him.
Jane hid in the shadow of the workbench, watching this scene that rewrote the laws of physics, not daring to even breathe too loudly.
Her heart was beating violently in her chest.
She dared not look at that blood-covered Prince of Asgard, only lowering her head and digging her nails into the fabric of her lab coat, feeling the overwhelming pressure that made it hard to breathe.
"Continue."
Lin Nuo's tone was casual, not offering a single extra word.
Thor knelt at the bottom of the pit, his only remaining left eye filled with the dead ash of shattered pride.
He should have been untamable, but that sudden, unprovoked scene had completely broken his last backbone.
He panted heavily, his voice raspy and hoarse, as he began to recount the one-sided massacre.
"The past two days have been the darkest days for the Realm of Gods."
Every time Thor opened his mouth, dark red blood dripped from his chin.
"Odin, my father, his lifespan has come to an end."
"On the very day he dissipated into light dust, that banished demon, Hela, tore open the seal."
Thor spoke quickly, his voice betraying an unconcealable fear.
The sound of his teeth chattering echoed in the spacious room.
"She calls herself the Goddess of Death, the first heir to Asgard."
"Loki tried to trap her with illusions and his staff."
Thor swallowed a mouthful of bloody saliva.
"But she didn't even glance at him more than a few times."
"With one hand, just one hand, she crushed Loki's magic-infused staff into powder!"
Lin Nuo rubbed the edge of the white porcelain teacup with his fingertips, remaining silent and not interrupting.
"Crushed the staff?"
It seems this eldest daughter's combat power is indeed quite interesting.
"It was a one-sided crushing."
Thor's body pitched forward, and he frantically used his remaining left arm to prop himself up on the ground.
"She awakened the army of the dead sleeping beneath the ground."
"Those undead who hadn't seen the light of day for thousands of years crawled out of their graves."
"The Heavenly Palace's Royal Guard couldn't stop them at all."
"She has no army; she herself is an army."
Thor's body hunched over.
"It was a mockery, treating living beings like dolls to be slaughtered at will."
"Every step she took, hundreds of sharp Sword of the Night Sky would pierce out from the marble floor."
"The Heavenly Palace's proud Royal Guard couldn't even touch the hem of her clothes before they were pierced through the heart by those black swords and nailed to the golden pillars."
Thor's voice cracked completely.
"When those Sword of the Night Sky slaughtered gods, there wasn't a moment of hesitation."
"She hoisted the leader of the Royal Guard into the air with a long sword, and in front of everyone, drained the life force from his body bit by bit."
"Those fallen warriors stood up again in the blink of an eye, turning into walking corpses obedient to her."
"Blood flowed down the steps of the Golden Palace, flooding the corridors and turning the entire throne hall into a slaughterhouse."
"Hela sat in that pile of dead bodies, stepping on the bones of our people, and declared that Asgard would henceforth be a kingdom of death."
"Loki used all his illusions to try and sneak attack her from behind."
"Hela didn't even turn her head; she just curled her finger and tapped the void."
"Loki's abdomen was pierced, and he was nailed to the wall."
"If he hadn't used his last bit of magic to forcibly open the escape portal and shove me inside, the royal bloodline of Asgard would have been severed."
The aura of despair spread through the laboratory.
Jane covered her mouth behind the console, tears streaming down through her fingers.
That arrogant extraterrestrial civilization had actually been slaughtered to the last person by one individual within two days.
However, Lin Nuo was still leisurely rubbing the edge of the white porcelain teacup.
"Hela."
Odin's eldest daughter, the executioner who once followed the God King to conquer the Nine Realms.
A death queen who, due to her swelling ambition, had been sealed away in the underworld by her own father for thousands of years.
This kind of woman had arrogance carved into her very bones.
She treated all life as stepping stones to be crushed at will, enjoying the absolute pleasure of controlling the life and death of others.
Aloof, cold, and cruel, she viewed all living things as mere grass.
To kill such prey with conventional means would be a waste of a treasure.
The territory of Star Umbrella Group had long since encompassed the entire Earth.
The top female CEOs, heiresses, ace female Agents, and even those female heroes with mutant abilities on this Planet had all obediently shed their disguises and bowed their heads under his rules.
But those were, in the end, only within the realm of mortals.
If one could drag a Goddess of Death, who hung high above the Nine Realms, forcibly down from that golden throne.
Shatter that bone-deep rebelliousness of hers, and strip away the magic and power she was so proud of.
Lock that self-righteous god inside the most secure cell of Star Umbrella.
Strip away her battle armor that symbolized power, and replace it with a prison uniform that symbolized submission.
Use the cruelest rules to tell her who the true Creator is in this World.
When she tried to resist with death magic, use even more brutal energy to crush her meridians.
Make her struggle on the edge of a fate worse than death again and again, until she recognized reality.
Until that goddess who viewed human life as grass could only swallow all her humiliation with red-rimmed eyes, personally hand over a letter of allegiance, and beg for even a tiny scrap of mercy for survival.
Make her develop that pathological attachment where she would die if she left him.
This sense of accomplishment from personally shattering a god's arrogance was definitely more valuable than casually destroying a kingdom.
Not to mention, accompanying this woman's capture would be the millennium of accumulation of the entire Asgard.
It was a massive gold mine suspended in the depths of the Universe.
Mountains of Uru metal ore, magic matrix analysis charts accumulated over several eras, and advanced technologies that even Earth's most cutting-edge physicists could not understand.
Once these things were secured, Star Umbrella Groupcould directly leap into the interstellar era and extend its influence to the Nine Realms.
This was a chain robbery that perfectly fit capitalist logic.
It required both possessing the person and annexing all assets.
Thor tugged violently at his messy hair, his nails scraping more blood from his scalp.
He raised his head, his bloodshot left eye staring fixedly at Lin Nuo.
It was the look of a drowning man on a turbulent sea, desperately clinging to the last piece of driftwood.
"You can change matter with a wave of your hand; your power even surpasses Odin's."
Thor began to crawl on his knees at the bottom of the pit, moving closer to Lin Nuo's leather shoes.
"Lend me a fleet of heavy warships from Star Umbrella, or lead the troops yourself."
"Save Asgard!"
"Save those civilians who haven't lost their lives yet!"
This Thor had completely abandoned the dignity of a deity.
"As long as you can drive Hela out of the Golden Palace, I can represent Asgard and satisfy any conditions you put forward!"
"Whether it's technology, magic, or submission!"
Lin Nuo listened to this plea, which had no logic of negotiation, and a very light, short sound of mockery rolled from his throat.
"Lend a fleet?"
"Play the savior and uphold justice?"
This alien prince's brain must have been completely broken by Hela.
In the expansion of Star Umbrella Group's territory, there had never been such an absurd word as "free aid," only taking advantage of others' misfortune to clean them out.
Lin Nuo placed the empty black tea cup back on the low mahogany table.
The porcelain clinked, emitting a crisp, unhurried sound.
He stood up from the leather sofa, his tall, upright figure blocking the cold, pale green light leaking in from outside the window.
The man strode forward, stopping step by step at the edge of the meteorite crater.
His aloof gaze fell on Thor's mud-stained cheeks, sizing him up with the attitude of appraising scrap.
"Satisfy any of my conditions?"
Lin Nuo's tone was low, hoarse, and casual, every word revealing an undisguised, plutocratic arrogance.
"Based on your current state?"
Lin Nuo paused for half a beat.
"A defective product whose lair has been overturned by a woman, whose eye has been gouged out, and who is begging everywhere—do you think you have any bargaining chips left that are worth me looking at more than once?"
Thor's body stiffened like a piece of dead wood.
His blood-stained lips trembled, unable to spit out even half a syllable of rebuttal.
Lin Nuo unhurriedly buttoned his tailored suit jacket, his figure straight and proper.
"I don't care at all about how your family fights for the throne or who sits on those steps piled with gold."
Lin Nuo leaned forward slightly, his voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
"I don't do stupid things like leading troops to be a savior with zero profit."
He stared straight into Thor's left eye, which was filled with despair, and delivered the cruelest capitalist declaration.
"I have no interest in saving people."
"But I am very interested in acquiring your dilapidated Realm of Gods."
Chapter 129: Selling the Divine Realm, Signing the Indenture in Tears
"Absurd..."
Thor squeezed a ragged, bellows-like gasp from his throat, blood-stained spittle clinging to his chapped lips.
He propped himself up with both hands, attempting to straighten his spine once more.
"The bloodline of Odin has not yet been extinguished."
"Asgard does not need to be bought or sold!"
Lin Nuo did not respond to this hollow declaration.
He leaned back against the leather backrest of the armchair, his long fingers toying with a steaming white porcelain teacup.
The heavy electronic door of the laboratory was pushed open from the outside.
The rhythmic, dull clacking of high heels broke the deathly silence.
Natasha, wearing a form-fitting black business suit and ten-centimeter red-bottomed heels, stepped over the scattered debris of shattered load-bearing steel bars and titanium alloy wreckage, walking steadily to Lin Nuo's side.
This former ace Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., who once spoke constantly of maintaining World peace, was now here.
Now, her posture was humble and submissive.
She held a thick folder with a black and gold cover in both hands, leaning forward to respectfully place it on the low mahogany table.
The edge of her wide-open neckline was exposed to the air, creating a stark, jarring contrast with the bloodstains covering the floor.
Natasha reported quickly and clearly, not sparing a glance for the bloody, mangled alien prince beside her.
"Boss, the cross-galactic final transfer agreement drafted by the Legal Department overnight."
"The clauses have been proofread in both languages, including Asgardian runes, as you requested."
Lin Nuo set down the teacup, his large, knuckled hand covering the black folder, his fingertips tracing the rough texture of the leather edges.
"Let him see what his home has been dismantled into."
Natasha nodded, her fingertips swiping across the high-transparency tablet in her other hand.
A blinding holographic projection beam shot from the top of the tablet, striking the air wall in the center of the laboratory.
For the first two seconds the image was projected, even the sound of breathing was cut off in the air.
Jane, hiding in the shadows of the workbench, covered her mouth, tears streaming down, yet she dared not let out even a whimper.
It was the high-frequency signal of the Nine Realms, intercepted and translated by the Star Umbrella near-Earth orbital satellite cluster.
The image was cruelly clear.
The once glorious and dazzling Golden Palace was now completely swallowed by a deathly, pale green mist.
Tens of thousands of Sword of the Night Sky pierced upward from the ground like inverted rain, riddling the marble pillars carved with sacred totems like a honeycomb.
The army of the undead climbed the Bifrost Bridge like locusts; they were tireless and felt no pain.
The camera zoomed in.
An Asgardian civilian woman holding a child attempted to hide behind the ruins of the plaza.
A woman clad in dark green armor stood with her back to the camera.
She did not even turn her head, simply raising her right hand casually and slightly curling her index finger.
An arm-thick black sword pierced through the ground, nailing the mother and child directly to the charred wall.
Slaughter.
Unconcealed, unreasonable, one-sided slaughter.
Thor lay at the edge of the pit, watching the sea of blood that belonged to his people.
His nails dug fiercely into the plastic-steel flooring, tearing several of his fingernails off completely.
Blood flowed from his fingertips, but he felt no pain at all.
His heart was squeezed tightly by barbed iron wire.
Lin Nuo tapped his knuckles on the tabletop.
"Stop."
The projection froze on the frame where Hela crushed the skull of a royal guard.
That nauseating sense of despair filled everyone's nostrils.
Lin Nuo's voice was low, carrying the exploitative tone typical of a capitalist.
"Did you see that clearly?"
"Hela is demolishing."
"And I am a merchant who values legality and compliance."
"My Star Umbrella heavy warships cannot open fire for some illusory justice."
"These days, you even have to look at the label when buying a cabbage."
"What makes you think I would use a massive amount of resources to freeload on a war?"
The man's long fingers flicked open the metal clasp of the black and gold folder.
The thick parchment contract was revealed to the air.
Lin Nuo leaned back into the sofa, shifting his crossed legs.
"Read the clauses."
"Let this Thor, whose head is filled only with muscle, understand what price must be paid to hire a god."
Natasha turned to the first page, her gaze fixed on the dense, predatory clauses, her voice steady and without inflection.
"Article One: After the agreement takes effect, the territorial sovereignty and defense control of the Asgardstar region shall belong entirely to the Star Umbrella Group."
"All Uru metal veins, mining rights for the branches of the World Tree, and intellectual property rights for magicmatrices are to be incorporated into the Group's asset library."
Natasha turned the page, the friction of the paper making a soft rustling sound.
"Article Two: The Asgardian royal family shall lose all administrative power."
"Thor Odinson voluntarily forfeits his status as first heir and accepts a position as a senior employee in the Security Department under the Star Umbrella Group."
"Article Three: Surviving Asgardian civilians shall unconditionally sign lifetime labor contracts."
"In exchange, the Star Umbrella Group will provide synthetic food sufficient to sustain them and cover partial medical care..."
Before Natasha could finish, a beastly roar erupted from Thor's throat.
This was a blasphemy against the divine.
To treat the Divine Realm, which sat high above the nine heavens, like a piece of rotting meat reeking of copper, laid out on a chopping block with a price tag!
"Shut up!"
Thor's only remaining left eye was completely bloodshot.
He didn't care that he only had one intact arm left.
The pride of a god fermented in despair into the most frantic counterattack.
He sprang up violently from the pool of blood, using the explosive power of his legs, like a dying Beast, lunging at the suited tyrant sitting on the sofa.
That rough, large hand opened, aiming straight for Lin Nuo's throat.
Jane was so terrified she curled up, hiding deeper in the shadows.
Lin Nuo didn't even make a move to stand up or dodge.
He kept one hand in his suit pocket, while the other toyed with the metal clasp.
The moment Thor's fingertips were less than ten centimeters from his tie.
A Bio-field, tyrannical to the extreme and completely defying the laws of Earth's gravity, exploded outward with Lin Nuo as the center.
There were no light effects, no superfluous magicfluctuations.
The gravity coefficient in this narrow space was forcibly altered by the Creator's authority, multiplied directly by over a thousand times.
Thor's massive, rugged body was like a fly crushed by ten thousand tons of water pressure.
His lunging motion came to an abrupt halt; his entire body lost control in mid-air, crashing straight onto the ground.
A massive sound of bones breaking echoed through the laboratory.
Thor's cheek slammed hard into the jagged, load-bearing steel bars.
The sharp metal pierced his jaw, blood gushing out, staining the remaining half of his face entirely red.
Every muscle in his body spasmed violently under this thousand-fold gravity, and his ribs groaned with unbearable pressure, emitting constant creaking sounds.
He tried with all his might to prop himself up on his arms.
But in the field constructed casually by this man, even moving a finger became an impossible luxury.
Lin Nuo leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.
His suit trousers were crisp, without a single wrinkle.
"In my territory, who gave you the nerve to shout at me?"
The man's high-and-mighty gaze was like looking at a pile of foul-smelling trash by the side of the road.
"Self-esteem is a good thing."
"It's just a pity that in the face of absolute capital and power, this thing is worth less than paper."
Lin Nuo extended two fingers and pulled a pure black custom fountain pen from the folder on the table.
He tossed it casually.
The heavy pen landed in the pool of blood beside Thor's cheek, splashing a few red stains.
The pressure of the field was deliberately lightened by a fraction, just enough to allow room for one hand to move.
In the projected image, Hela's finger pierced through the chest of an old man.
The old man didn't even have time to struggle before he turned into a withered skeleton, trampled into powder under the feet of the undead legion.
Vibrant lives were perishing at a rate of hundreds to thousands per second.
Thor's eyes bulged.
Large mouthfuls of bloody foam gushed from his pierced jaw.
On one side was the sacred self-esteem of a civilization thousands of years old.
On the other was the million lives currently being slaughtered one-sidedly.
Lin Nuo's words were like a venomous snake covered in barbs, biting right into his weak spot.
"Sign it, and your people can live to go mine."
"Don't sign it, and they will all be bone dust beneath Hela's throne."
Thor closed his scarlet left eye.
His five rough fingers opened bit by bit, groping until they touched the cold, hard custom fountain pen.
Lin Nuo leaned back into the sofa, his gaze falling on the back of Thor's hand, where veins bulged from the effort, as he leisurely straightened his cuffs.
"Make it quick."
"This pen's ink doesn't have time to wait for you to mourn that laughable divine pride here."
Chapter 130: Troops at the Gates of the Divine Realm, Prepare to Welcome Your New Master
Lin Nuo leaned back against the sofa, his fingers tapping on his knee, showing no signs of urgency.
Business is business; the asset transfer agreement must have a legal basis.
Thor gritted his teeth, his jaw grinding with a teeth-aching crunch.
He gave up on the pen, shifted his broken cervical spine, and put his mud-stained thumb into his mouth.
He bit down hard.
Skin tore, and golden Asgardian divine blood gushed out.
Dragging his half-crippled arm, he pressed a glaring bloody handprint at the end of the black-gold encased "Asgard Acquisition Agreement".
Asgard, this golden kingdom floating above the Nine Realms, had completely fallen into the legal private assets of the Star Umbrella Group.
Natasha stepped forward in her ten-centimeter red-bottomed high heels.
She bent down, not even glancing at the former Thor who had lost his dignity on the ground, and efficiently retrieved the agreement stained with divine blood back into the folder.
Lin Nuo stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles on his suit jacket with one hand.
"Take him to the medical pod."
"If we spend money to buy a territory, we must keep a living guide who knows the way."
"Heal his legs, no need to repair any other unnecessary organs."
...
Half an hour later, in Earth's low orbit.
Inside the penthouse suite of the temporary Sokovia Base, the smell of disinfectant mixed with the rich scent of cedar.
Wanda stepped barefoot on the thick Persian carpet.
She had changed into a minimalist dark red bodycon dress, with a very low neckline and a hem that barely covered the tops of her thighs.
She wore a silver positioning collar around her neck.
It was one that Lin Nuo had personally fastened on her.
The metal collar pressed against her warm skin, the coldness seeping deep into her marrow.
Lin Nuo stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror.
He took off his refined custom-made suit and put on a long, deep black trench coat.
The fabric had a matte sheen that felt highly technological.
This was a special combat suit woven by the Star Umbrellamaterials engineering department using high-purity Vibranium nanofibers mixed with Asgard defensive magic arrays.
Wanda walked behind him, her fair hands resting on his shoulders, carefully helping him adjust the collar of his trench coat.
The man's body heat was conducted through the stiff fabric to her fingertips.
Lin Nuo turned around, his large palm directly gripping her slender waist, pulling her towards him.
"Are you done?"
Wanda collided into that scorching chest, letting out a very faint whimper.
She did not dodge, but instead obediently lowered her eyelids, resting her chin on the man's chest.
"Where are we going?"
Lin Nuo's rough fingertips brushed over her soft red lips, bringing a tingling sensation that was hard to describe.
"To take over our new mine."
Without giving her any extra time to ask questions, Lin Nuoput his arm around her waist and stepped directly through a space portal.
...
After the feeling of weightlessness faded, what came into view was a grand creation in the extremely cold vacuum environment.
On the far side of the moon, the Star Umbrella secret spaceport.
A massive ring-shaped Base spanned across the crater.
Three star-sized flagships, obscuring the sky and sun, were parked quietly in the dock.
The hulls were painted pure black, with countless heavy particle Planet-destroying cannons lined up on both sides of the ships.
The hideous muzzles emitted blue-purple radiation waves caused by high-frequency charging.
Lin Nuo took Wanda and stepped into the main control room of the central flagship.
Leather shoes and high heels stepped on the metal grating, making a dull echo.
All around were cold titanium alloy bulkheads and busy combat personnel.
Wanda buried half her face in the man's arm crook, drawing that tiny bit of cedar scent that gave her peace of mind.
She dared not look at those soulless War Machines, nor did she dare to look at the boundless deep space outside the window.
Potts stood by the holographic tactical sand table.
This female CEO, usually accustomed to pencil skirts and high heels, had changed into a dark gray tactical command uniform today.
The tight material outlined her long, slender curves from years of working out.
Her long hair was tied up high, and on her feet were a pair of metal-rimmed combat boots.
Potts stood straight, the recorder in her hand emitting a faint hum.
"Boss."
"The First, Second, and Third Heavy Fleet of the Expeditionary Force have assembled."
"Twenty thousand automated firepower mechs have been loaded into the landing pods."
"Warp engine preheating progress is at one hundred percent."
"The energy cores sent from the South African Vibraniummine have all been connected to the matrix Base."
Potts's report was steady and powerful.
Her gaze lingered for half a second on the silver collar around Wanda's neck before she respectfully moved it away.
In the kingdom ruled by this man, who possesses what level of favor depends entirely on the mood of the Creator.
Lin Nuo strode forward, walked to the main command seat, and sat down.
The metal seat was wide.
He leaned back against the chair and patted his thigh.
Wanda did not hesitate, obediently sitting in his lap.
She wrapped her arms around the man's neck, surrendering all her weight to him.
In this completely strange and oppressive space, she could only cling to this towering tree that was the only thing capable of protecting her.
Lin Nuo's large palm pressed against the fabric on the side of Wanda's waist, kneading that patch of delicate skin uncovered by fabric.
"Warp coordinate setting progress?"
In the encrypted channel of the main control room, the cross-channel report from Dr. Jane Foster came through.
Jane's voice carried a hint of fatigue after being filtered by the electric current.
"Boss, the spatial frequency of the Tesseract has been implanted into the flagship navigation system, with coordinates pointing directly to the Asgard Royal Court area."
"According to high-frequency detection bands, Hela's undead army controls eighty percent of the urban area."
"The area around the Golden Palace is completely sealed by death energy, and the energy level of the defensive barrier is extremely high."
Lin Nuo toyed with a lock of Wanda's red hair hanging over her shoulder with one hand.
Forcibly demolishing an alien royal court.
Taking over assets under one's own name and clearing out the troublemaking squatters inside was the most normal business logic.
That woman known as the Goddess of Death treated all living beings as bone fragments that could be crushed at will.
That arrogance grown into her bones was best suited to be beaten down.
Strip off the armor she was so proud of, and lock her into Star Umbrella's biological culture pod.
Use high-pressure magic to flush out the manic energy in her body, watching that goddess who viewed human life as straw-like red-eyed, swallowing all her humiliation, obediently lying on the ground, begging for a meager handout of survival.
This kind of possession that forces gods to bow their heads had astonishingly high profits.
Lin Nuo issued the supreme commander's order.
"Unlock fleet launch authorization."
The red alert lights in the main control room flashed one after another.
The metal floor beneath their feet transmitted high-frequency vibrations.
The plasma thrusters entered full-power operation mode.
The three massive star flagships slowly broke free from the moon's gravitational pull, arrayed in a triangular formation, and headed into deep space.
The cosmic space ahead warped.
A huge channel opening opened in the gloom, revealing a deep purple folding phenomenon inside.
That was an interstellar jump node that completely violated Earth's physical common sense.
Wanda huddled in Lin Nuo's arms, watching the star trail anomalies constantly pulling backward outside the window.
Her knuckles were tight, gripping Lin Nuo's trench coat collar hard.
Facing the unknown of crossing galaxies, and the potential Carnage she might encounter, her meager sense of security was once again compressed to the limit.
The engine roar made her eardrums ache.
Lin Nuo's low, hoarse voice sounded in her ear.
"Are you scared?"
His calloused fingertips slid slowly down her spine, stopping at the very bottom of her dress zipper.
Wanda buried her head lower, her voice muffled in the man's lapels.
"Will... will we encounter trouble?"
Lin Nuo's long fingers pinched her chin, forcing her to lift her head.
The man's thumb brutally ground over her dry lips, rubbing away the fragile flush.
"Wherever Star Umbrella goes, there are only asset transfer rules, no trouble."
Lin Nuo's gaze passed over her, looking at the coordinates of that green Planet on the holographic sand table.
"When you meet that eldest daughter of death of Asgard, you will know who the real disaster is!"