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Chapter 273: Deathstroke and the Imprisoned Raven
Author: Great Demon Spirit
A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters, seventeenth basement level.
On the surface, the A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters building only has seven basement levels, and this information is public. However, very few people know that below the seventh level, there are thirteen more hidden floors.
The floors are each responsible for different tasks, and the elevators connecting them are incredibly complex. With the exception of a select few floors, many internal employees are unaware of the tasks handled by personnel on other levels.
A.R.G.U.S., the semi-public organization Tony had originally established to be rooted on Earth as his eyes and ears, had already become a colossus.
From its initial rough start to its current rapid development, every step had been taken with incredible speed.
This was especially true now. The great war that had erupted between the Ancient One, Shazam, and Dormammu, tearing through endless space-time, had directly leaked powerful Magic Power from the Dark Dimension. It created a cross-dimensional Projection that dealt a massive blow to the worldview of Earth's people, which in turn greatly facilitated the expansion of A.R.G.U.S.
The image of two "tiny" Sorcerers fighting a monster the size of a planet had already spread across the entire Earth, and countless people had gone mad.
Many opportunists, seeing a chance to get rich, immediately established a slew of religions dedicated to worshipping the two Sorcerers... After all, no matter how you looked at it, the Ancient One and Shazam were people from Earth, their own kind, while the planet-sized monster looked like a movie villain no matter how you studied it...
The terror of Supernatural Power was displayed before the people of Earth on an unprecedented scale.
Moreover, this was something that couldn't be hidden. The Projection covered more than half of Earth, showing the Ancient One and Shazam casually disintegrating countless attacking planets. The horror, like the End of the World, far exceeded the limits of human imagination.
Even a Transmigrator like Tony, without witnessing the brutal battle between Level Seven beings with his own eyes, couldn't have imagined such a world-destroying scene.
Faintly, the way people on Earth looked at the Metahumans around them began to change slightly, especially the way they looked at Mutants... Although this change was very, very subtle, it could well be the spark that starts a prairie fire.
Various versions of stories and legends circulated on Earth. Many theologians and historians jumped out, brandishing myths they'd dug up from who-knows-where, confidently proclaiming that the two figures, one in white and one in gray, were Deities from ancient mythology.
"That bald one in white clothes, did you see the footage? Clearly Chinese. I think she's Nezha from the legends..."
"Bullshit! You think I haven't read 'Investiture of the Gods'? If you're going to scam people, at least act professional, alright? Your Nezha looks like that?! It'd be more believable to say she's the Queen Mother!!!"
Of course, these arguing people had no idea that the Nezha and Queen Mother they spoke of were both Deities in the Heavenly Court, and they were real...
In short, similar quarrels and enthusiastic debates had become a trend across the globe. Many people developed a strong interest in mythology, and many storybooks that had been tossed aside were picked up once again.
There was no helping it. Humans aren't fools. If the images spreading across the azure sky could barely be explained away with high-tech and the like, then what were those ever-expanding rifts in the sky?
Even if they relied entirely on their imagination, letting their minds run wild, they could guess with some degree of accuracy that those rifts must be Spatial Rifts.
They didn't know what would happen after space completely shattered, but looking at the combat power in the Projection that could destroy planets with a backhand... the outcome would certainly not be pleasant.
For certain reasons, many official organizations remained silent, allowing the public discussion to run rampant. It wasn't that they didn't want to gloss things over to maintain stability; it was that the news Tony had been feeding them was simply too terrifying.
The most detailed information was the specific power level classification, from Level One and Level Two to Level Three and Level Four, as well as the Demigod level of Five and Six, and the True God of Level Seven. This greatly broadened the horizons of some high-level officials.
Moreover, the power displayed by the Ancient One and the others was enough to temporarily shut the politicians' mouths. The facts couldn't be faked, especially since Magneto and Professor X, two individuals whose upper limits they had yet to probe, were merely a paltry Level Four.
Tony had also briefly mentioned the dangers of the Universe, but didn't elaborate. Firstly, the politicians wouldn't believe him if he said too much, and secondly, he himself was an earthling who had never left the planet and was clueless about the cosmic situation. He only gave a general mention of a few famous Interstellar Civilizations.
For example, the Kree, who, twenty thousand years ago, took advantage of the Eternals' defeat and panicked flight from Earth to brazenly attack and capture large numbers of the Eternals as test subjects.
The few remaining Eternals fled in disarray to a satellite of Saturn. This satellite was later given a name: Titan. Thus, this last group of Eternals came to be called the Titan Eternals.
Of course, the Kree Civilization was also indirectly retaliated against by a descendant of the Eternals. The name of that descendant was—Thanos.
A.R.G.U.S. seventeenth basement level. The ostensible leader, Crane, was walking slowly, followed by a powerful guard who exuded a terrifying Aura.
"Deathstroke, you may leave now." Crane stopped abruptly at the entrance, a smile on his face as he spoke softly to the guard beside him.
The burly guard's eyes glinted dangerously as he said in a cold voice, "Get this straight, I'm not your subordinate!"
"At least we have a cooperative relationship, don't we? Between you and me." Crane was still smiling, his expression unchanging.
Deathstroke snorted coldly, sheathed his two katanas, and left without looking back. He wore a special combat suit and moved without a sound.
The renowned Deathstroke of the Underworld actually seemed to be quite familiar with Crane.
Although his Mask obscured his features, his every move was as precise as a computer. He was a master of every fighting style in the world, the world's strongest Mercenary and Bounty Hunter—if you didn't count those two guys he detested so much, he was indeed number one in the world.
Scarecrow Crane walked to the door, entered a complex password, and passed successive iris and fingerprint scans. Only after layers of screening did he finally enter the tightly sealed door.
The seventeenth basement level, unlike the research departments on other floors, was a Prison. It was the most advanced Prison in the world, and Tony had spent the past year casting many powerful spells on it.
In addition, A.R.G.U.S.'s open recruitment of superhumans had never stopped. The addition of some half-baked Sorcerers and tech geniuses had further improved this floor.
This prison floor had a very theatrical name, one that struck fear into countless fugitives hunted by A.R.G.U.S.—The Circus.
(end of chapter)
Author: Great Demon Spirit
A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters, seventeenth basement level.
On the surface, the A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters building only has seven basement levels, and this information is public. However, very few people know that below the seventh level, there are thirteen more hidden floors.
The floors are each responsible for different tasks, and the elevators connecting them are incredibly complex. With the exception of a select few floors, many internal employees are unaware of the tasks handled by personnel on other levels.
A.R.G.U.S., the semi-public organization Tony had originally established to be rooted on Earth as his eyes and ears, had already become a colossus.
From its initial rough start to its current rapid development, every step had been taken with incredible speed.
This was especially true now. The great war that had erupted between the Ancient One, Shazam, and Dormammu, tearing through endless space-time, had directly leaked powerful Magic Power from the Dark Dimension. It created a cross-dimensional Projection that dealt a massive blow to the worldview of Earth's people, which in turn greatly facilitated the expansion of A.R.G.U.S.
The image of two "tiny" Sorcerers fighting a monster the size of a planet had already spread across the entire Earth, and countless people had gone mad.
Many opportunists, seeing a chance to get rich, immediately established a slew of religions dedicated to worshipping the two Sorcerers... After all, no matter how you looked at it, the Ancient One and Shazam were people from Earth, their own kind, while the planet-sized monster looked like a movie villain no matter how you studied it...
The terror of Supernatural Power was displayed before the people of Earth on an unprecedented scale.
Moreover, this was something that couldn't be hidden. The Projection covered more than half of Earth, showing the Ancient One and Shazam casually disintegrating countless attacking planets. The horror, like the End of the World, far exceeded the limits of human imagination.
Even a Transmigrator like Tony, without witnessing the brutal battle between Level Seven beings with his own eyes, couldn't have imagined such a world-destroying scene.
Faintly, the way people on Earth looked at the Metahumans around them began to change slightly, especially the way they looked at Mutants... Although this change was very, very subtle, it could well be the spark that starts a prairie fire.
Various versions of stories and legends circulated on Earth. Many theologians and historians jumped out, brandishing myths they'd dug up from who-knows-where, confidently proclaiming that the two figures, one in white and one in gray, were Deities from ancient mythology.
"That bald one in white clothes, did you see the footage? Clearly Chinese. I think she's Nezha from the legends..."
"Bullshit! You think I haven't read 'Investiture of the Gods'? If you're going to scam people, at least act professional, alright? Your Nezha looks like that?! It'd be more believable to say she's the Queen Mother!!!"
Of course, these arguing people had no idea that the Nezha and Queen Mother they spoke of were both Deities in the Heavenly Court, and they were real...
In short, similar quarrels and enthusiastic debates had become a trend across the globe. Many people developed a strong interest in mythology, and many storybooks that had been tossed aside were picked up once again.
There was no helping it. Humans aren't fools. If the images spreading across the azure sky could barely be explained away with high-tech and the like, then what were those ever-expanding rifts in the sky?
Even if they relied entirely on their imagination, letting their minds run wild, they could guess with some degree of accuracy that those rifts must be Spatial Rifts.
They didn't know what would happen after space completely shattered, but looking at the combat power in the Projection that could destroy planets with a backhand... the outcome would certainly not be pleasant.
For certain reasons, many official organizations remained silent, allowing the public discussion to run rampant. It wasn't that they didn't want to gloss things over to maintain stability; it was that the news Tony had been feeding them was simply too terrifying.
The most detailed information was the specific power level classification, from Level One and Level Two to Level Three and Level Four, as well as the Demigod level of Five and Six, and the True God of Level Seven. This greatly broadened the horizons of some high-level officials.
Moreover, the power displayed by the Ancient One and the others was enough to temporarily shut the politicians' mouths. The facts couldn't be faked, especially since Magneto and Professor X, two individuals whose upper limits they had yet to probe, were merely a paltry Level Four.
Tony had also briefly mentioned the dangers of the Universe, but didn't elaborate. Firstly, the politicians wouldn't believe him if he said too much, and secondly, he himself was an earthling who had never left the planet and was clueless about the cosmic situation. He only gave a general mention of a few famous Interstellar Civilizations.
For example, the Kree, who, twenty thousand years ago, took advantage of the Eternals' defeat and panicked flight from Earth to brazenly attack and capture large numbers of the Eternals as test subjects.
The few remaining Eternals fled in disarray to a satellite of Saturn. This satellite was later given a name: Titan. Thus, this last group of Eternals came to be called the Titan Eternals.
Of course, the Kree Civilization was also indirectly retaliated against by a descendant of the Eternals. The name of that descendant was—Thanos.
A.R.G.U.S. seventeenth basement level. The ostensible leader, Crane, was walking slowly, followed by a powerful guard who exuded a terrifying Aura.
"Deathstroke, you may leave now." Crane stopped abruptly at the entrance, a smile on his face as he spoke softly to the guard beside him.
The burly guard's eyes glinted dangerously as he said in a cold voice, "Get this straight, I'm not your subordinate!"
"At least we have a cooperative relationship, don't we? Between you and me." Crane was still smiling, his expression unchanging.
Deathstroke snorted coldly, sheathed his two katanas, and left without looking back. He wore a special combat suit and moved without a sound.
The renowned Deathstroke of the Underworld actually seemed to be quite familiar with Crane.
Although his Mask obscured his features, his every move was as precise as a computer. He was a master of every fighting style in the world, the world's strongest Mercenary and Bounty Hunter—if you didn't count those two guys he detested so much, he was indeed number one in the world.
Scarecrow Crane walked to the door, entered a complex password, and passed successive iris and fingerprint scans. Only after layers of screening did he finally enter the tightly sealed door.
The seventeenth basement level, unlike the research departments on other floors, was a Prison. It was the most advanced Prison in the world, and Tony had spent the past year casting many powerful spells on it.
In addition, A.R.G.U.S.'s open recruitment of superhumans had never stopped. The addition of some half-baked Sorcerers and tech geniuses had further improved this floor.
This prison floor had a very theatrical name, one that struck fear into countless fugitives hunted by A.R.G.U.S.—The Circus.
(end of chapter)
