However, what Robert did not expect was that in a short period of time, there was no news of Valon and the charm. Even when Robert tried to search for the charm using a similar power, he found no trace of it, as if the charm had simply evaporated from the world.
Therefore, Robert began to suspect that the charm might have been reclaimed by the Holy Master; otherwise, why would there be no trace of it?
For this reason, Robert went specifically to find Old Pi to see if he could find any clues, but unfortunately, even Old Pi's chanting of "Demons and ghosts, be gone" yielded no information about the charm.
Of course, it wasn't just Robert who couldn't find any trace of the charm. Neither S.H.I.E.L.D. nor District 13 had any leads, and even Valon had disappeared.
It is known that both District 13 and S.H.I.E.L.D. use technological methods, but the results were no different.
Not only S.H.I.E.L.D. and District 13, but also the Hydra faction led by Alexander Pierce had lost track of Valon, and even the branch led by Baron Strucker had disappeared, as if they had both gone into hiding.
Compared to others, Valon had a deeper understanding of the power of the charm. He knew how to hide the power of the charm and how to avoid detection by other Hydra factions. He wouldn't reveal himself until he had made further progress – at least, that was his plan!
"One sec, Hal, what's up?" One day, in a bar, a handsome, unruly man answered a phone call, found a quiet corner after stepping out of the bar, "What? I've got cancer? Who told you that? How could that be? I'm healthy! What's our relationship, huh? Even though we're just cousins, we almost look identical. Your girlfriend can't even tell the difference between you and me... ahem, I didn't say anything..."
"What? Go to a military hospital for a check-up? No way! Please, Hal, I'm a mercenary, a bounty hunter, not a noble pilot like you. I'm really fine! Let's hang out sometime soon, and you'll see..."
"Alright, I've got to go, bye!" Wade Wilson, after hanging up, showed a hint of bitterness on his frivolous face, then returned to his usual carefree demeanor and said, "Almost spilled the beans about his girlfriend mistaking me for him. If it weren't for my strong willpower, I might have cuckolded him. After all, we're brothers, I guess I have to sacrifice for him... Hm?"
While Wade was talking, his phone vibrated again. Seeing the caller ID, he raised an eyebrow, then with a sigh, answered, "Hey, Slade, what's up? What? I've got cancer? You too... No, who told you that? There's no such thing!"
"I just landed a big deal that shook the bounty hunting world! Why would you think I've got cancer? Don't worry, I'm fine. If there was a problem, could I hide it from you? We're cousins! Sure, if I ever come across a job I can't handle, I'll definitely call you. We should make money together, right? Eh? I've got another call, gotta go..."
Sighing after hanging up, Wade exhaled deeply, a hint of helplessness in his tone, "How did everyone find out? I was only diagnosed a few days ago! Thankfully, Vanessa still doesn't know about it... well, she probably doesn't."
Having been approached by two relatives, Wade started to doubt himself. Initially not too concerned about his cancer diagnosis, he began searching for a cure.
Of course, a regular hospital was out of the question, as he was diagnosed there. The hospital's blunt message was: "It's incurable, wait to die, goodbye!"
Of course, that wasn't what they literally said, but that was Wade's takeaway, leading him to seek alternative cures for his cancer.
Eventually, Wade found a laboratory claiming to cure all diseases. Initially skeptical, he still decided to give it a try.
What if it's a scam? No joke! Wade was an experienced bounty hunter. He never fell for scams; he was the one who scammed others.
Well, maybe at the cost of a few billion, but that's a minor issue, as long as Vanessa doesn't find out!
Moreover, Wade secretly carried Slade Wilson's distress signal device. If he was really trapped, he could have Slade come to his rescue. Brothers united, invincible!
Wade didn't believe a simple scam could trap both him and Slade, two masters...
However, Wade was a bit careless this time, as he was facing a lab secretly supported by Valon. This lab indeed had the capability to cure all diseases, as they were studying the power of the charm.
But the lab wouldn't use the charm's power to help those in need; they were Hydra, not a charity. This was just a way to find free test subjects.
Wade became such a subject. Upon realizing something was wrong and trying to escape the lab, it was already too late. Several super soldiers rushed out, blocking Wade, and a glass dome encased him and the soldiers, filling with anesthetic gas. After struggling, Wade and the soldiers eventually passed out...
The strength of the anesthetic gas, a product of Hydra's secret experiments, was evident as it knocked out even super soldiers. Faced with such a nearly suicidal attack, even the experienced Wade didn't expect it and ended up bound to an experimental table by lab technicians wearing gas masks.
This was the beginning of Wade's inhumane experimentation, but fortunately, he had turned on his distress signal device before passing out. Whether Slade would find him depended on luck.
As Wade began his ordeal, Robert was also busy. Unable to find any leads on the charm, Robert had no choice but to continue attending school. However, to find excuses to wander around, Robert embarked on a journey to dominate eating contests.
Robert first defended his title as the burger-eating champion of Kansas City and then swept through numerous other eating contests in the vicinity, winning considerable prize money.
But what Robert never expected was that he would one day lose an eating contest to a girl...
It was the famous Coney Island hot dog eating contest in New York, known as the capital of competitive eating. Just when Robert was leading the contest, he suddenly encountered a girl who ate even more wildly than he did. Her eating speed and volume far surpassed Robert's...
"How is that possible?" Robert looked at the girl, slightly bewildered, realizing for the first time that even if he tried his hardest, he might be outdone in eating.
Moreover, Robert felt a pressure from this girl, not the kind sensed through qi, but something akin to the essence of life!
Robert had felt such pressure before, the first time being from the God of Destruction, Beerus, and the Angel, Whis...
"This girl is not right!" Kara, who came to the contest with Robert, frowned at the girl. She found that she couldn't see through the girl's body!
Not only Robert and Kara noticed something off about the girl, but other participants in the contest also sensed something strange. Robert's eating capacity was already at the limit of human acceptance, but this girl far exceeded that.
Unlike the previous cheers when Robert showed off his eating skills, the atmosphere at the contest became quiet. Everyone stopped and stared at the girl, who, oblivious to the attention, continued to devour her food until the contest ended...
"Yay! Looks like I won!" The girl stopped, seeming still hungry, and cheerily said, looking around and then at Robert, "Hi, I'm Gamora. What's your name?"
"Robert." Robert replied somewhat absentmindedly to Gamora.
"You're the most voracious human I've seen. You even look delicious, and so does that little girl over there..." Gamora swallowed hard, then took a deep breath to suppress her urge to eat.
"But don't worry, I decided long ago not to eat Earth and its native intelligent life. Although you two don't seem native to Earth, you've taken on its essence. I won't eat you!"
Robert: ╭(⊙o⊙)╮
"Eat? Eat Earth?" Robert blinked, somewhat bewildered at Gamora. This seemed to transcend the concept of a foodie. What kind of life form considers planets as food?
Robert thought of the dream where Beerus destroyed planets and began to suspect that Gamora might also be a similar deity.
"Why are all the deities in every universe so unreliable?" A thought flashed through Robert's mind. "Wait, they all seem to love gourmet food?"
"I said I won't eat Earth, why don't you seem very bright?" Gamora frowned at Robert, a little displeased, then glanced around. Some staff members were heading towards the place where she had just eaten.
"Uh oh, looks like I've exposed myself, can't stay here any longer. These people have ill intentions, unlike you, who seems so pure-hearted." Gamora shook her head regretfully, smiled at Robert, and said, "Robert, right? I'll remember your scent. I'll come to find you sometime. Remember to prepare delicious food for me!"
With a "whoosh!" Gamora disappeared from the spot as soon as her voice fell, leaving no trace detectable by Robert's qi sensing or any other perception abilities, as if she had never been there.
"Whoa!"
"What the heck?!"
"Where'd she go?"
"She was just here!"
The crowd awakened from a dream, letting out a chorus of exclamations. The competition site erupted into chaos at the extraordinary event unfolding before the public. The impact was tremendous as people fled in fear of the unknown, wondering whether the individual who devoured countless foods in one go was human or ghost.
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