Xu Shang-Chi grew more and more agitated as he thought. He felt restless and initially wanted to leave, but when he thought about how Mandarin was an enemy he had to deal with in the future, he decided to stay and listen to Daredevil Matt and the erudite elder's opinions on The Ten Commandments.
"What's the deal with the man we encountered who could explode? Is he one of Mandarin's subordinates?" the Nightingale asked. He was more concerned about the safety of the Bronx, given that it was densely populated. If there were several explosions caused by these lunatics rushing into the crowd, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"It's very likely that Mandarin transformed them using the power of the Ten Commandments. I think the ability to self-detonate isn't theirs, but a mistake made by ordinary people when they try to use powerful forces," the elder theorized.
"Ordinary people who haven't trained in any mental techniques can't properly control their power output when using extraordinary powers. They're prone to losing control, damaging their internal organs. The ultimate manifestation of losing control is a massive outburst of power leading to an explosion," he explained.
Xu Shang-Chi shivered at those words, while Jarvis said seriously, "This power is very covert. Before it erupts, my scans can't distinguish them from normal people."
Matt looked at Jarvis in surprise. He knew Jarvis's identity, and if even the world's most advanced AI couldn't distinguish between them, then it was certainly very dangerous for ordinary people.
"In fact, the danger has already begun. The man who self-exploded is likely the one who killed the protest leader, Pierre, earlier," Gwen said, worried, "If there are many more people like this in New York, unimaginable murders and explosions will continue to occur."
She seemed to be thinking of her father's work, and it was evident she was agitated. Gwen pressed her thumb to her lips and frowned, "If the media guides public opinion, people would believe that the development of the times may be a bad thing. Once such pessimism is stirred, the public order will only worsen."
"Perhaps that is just what Mandarin wants," Stick summed up, "The more chaotic, the easier it is for him to opportunistically take advantage. He probably most dislikes the idea of humanity stepping into interstellar civilization."
"Because he's ahead on Earth," Riley gritted, "If human technology advances and ordinary people have his abilities, he will lose his edge. To maintain his superior, unique status, he won't care about ordinary people's wellbeing."
They all sighed deeply, somewhat angry. Now they knew the meaning of the saying 'one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.'
Could you say that Mandarin is too strong to tackle? Not really. But he stealthily uses underhanded tactics, hiding who-knows-where, using ordinary people as time bombs. Today he blows up one person, tomorrow another, making everyone nervous and unable to live in peace.
All he needs to do is use the wealth obtained through illegal means to bribe some people in the media. They can portray these incidents as ominous signals of a dark future, worsening the situation, and stopping all of humanity from moving forward.
The hot-tempered Speedball, the angrier he got, slammed the table and stood, saying, "Don't let me find out where he is, or I will make him pay!"
"Don't rush," Matt tried to calm him down, "We're not completely powerless against him. While we can't solve the high-level infiltration, we may be able to do something about the security issues in the slums."
"Alright, let's discuss in the meeting room how we can lessen crime by patrolling. It's time for you to apply what you've learned in training," Matt suggested.
With that, groups of young heroes came together, staring at Matt with eager expressions. Matt smiled, "Mandarin won't know how powerful these ordinary youngsters can be after undergoing professional training."
"He's done for," Jessica made a fist, "I'll find and pull out those damn human bombs one by one, and crack their skulls!"
Gwen sighed slightly, "Do we need the Spider-Men to step in? It might increase security."
Matt thought for a moment, then said, "No, not now. If needed, I'll post a task on the Spider App."
Gwen nodded in agreement without giving any further comments. Just then, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old teenager rushed in, exclaiming, "That patient who looks like Tony Stark has woken up! He almost attacked my teacher, you guys need to go check it out!"
Riley immediately stood up in a great flurry, asking, "Where is he? I'm going there now."
Wanda and Jarvis, who had been standing behind the sofa, exchanged a glance. They followed Riley out. Then in hushed tones Wanda said, "Something doesn't add up, he shouldn't be waking up this quickly. My chaos magic isn't that weak."
Lowering his voice, Jarvis replied,"Could you ask Pietro to run to the Stark Building and fetch an intelligence control center from Laboratory No.3062? Also, make it look worn-out, as if it's been through burning and explosion."
Feeling puzzled, Wanda summoned her brother. As they entered another building, Jarvis already had the worn-out intelligence control center in his hand.
As they entered the room, they saw a bearded doctor cowering in a corner, trembling. A man in the center of the room, exhausted and covered in wounds, looked disheveled and slightly crazed.
"Mr. Stark!" Riley rushed up, shouting. The Stark in the room turned his head. On seeing Riley's face, his eyes welled up with irrepressible sadness and joy.
Stark rushed over to Riley, hugging him tightly. Riley struggled to breathe.
But soon after, Stark released him. He stared at Riley's face quietly. After a few seconds, filled with alert, he stepped backward saying hoarsely, "No, you're not Peter."
"I..." Riley's instinct was to argue but then he remembered that he was just a clone, and he felt saddened.
As Wanda stepped forward to ask, Stark immediately became more vigilant. He leaned against the wall, his body arched, like a cornered beast ready for a desperate fight.
This was when Jarvis stepped in, "I'm sorry, sir. The battlesuit you were driving has been totally scrapped when it crash-landed on the planet. However, we managed to rescue this from the remains."
Jarvis pulled out a charred intelligence control center from behind him. Stark's eyes lit up instantly. But he still didn't lower his guard. Instead, he stared at Jarvis' face saying, "Toss it over."
As Jarvis did so and threw the shabby machine part out, it bounced off the floor a few times and rolled to Stark's feet. Stark, while keeping an eye on the crowd across, slowly bent down to pick it up.
As he touched the broken surface of the machine, Stark showed an expression of surprise. Stunned, he said, "It's not broken. It's still working! Jarvis, Jarvis, are you there?"
And a familiar mechanical sound came from the machine.
"Yes, sir, I am here."