Night, Hell's Kitchen, an abandoned factory.
Deep in the factory, the light of the torches flickered, making the whole place even more eerie.
His eyes focused on the bright room. On a flat area deep within the factory, a man in black robes stood in the middle. Opposite him, the 20 deaf-mute people who had just been created by the Hand were looking at the man in black robes with great fear.
They had just lost the ability to speak and hear. Even when they got here, someone led them with sticks.
They believed that before long, the world that was once bright in their eyes would turn into black and white, and everything would become despair.
At this moment, the man in black robes opened his hands and said as if he were savoring it: "Strong fear, mixed with despair after hope is shattered—a good sacrifice."
"Lawrence, the sacrifices you need have been brought. Later, don't forget what you promised us."
Alexandra, one of the Five Fingers of the Hand standing nearby, spoke in a low voice, while Elektra, the Black Sky carrier standing next to her, stared at the man in black robes expressionlessly.
The man in black robes, a Dormammu believer named Lawrence, turned his head to look at Alexandra and glanced at Elektra with some fear.
He said in a hoarse voice: "Don't worry, this batch of sacrifices made by your organization is good. I believe we will have more cooperation in the future."
As he spoke, Lawrence stretched out his thin left arm, covered with various black lines, and waved it gently.
A black mist quickly gushed out from his right hand and spread throughout the factory, gradually covering the deaf-mute, Alexandra, and the Black Sky.
"Black Sky." Alexandra said coldly.
In an instant, Elektra stepped lightly on the ground, and a halo of blood and strange energy enveloped Alexandra and herself.
At the same time, the surrounding black fog was dispersed. However, perhaps knowing that these fogs were useful, Elektra did not completely dispel them—only about three meters around them.
The next moment, the black mist seemed to sense something and kept surging, and then the scene changed.
The fog disappeared, and the factory returned to its original state.
No, to be precise, it reverted to the scene 10 days ago.
A large number of deaf-mute workers had expressionless faces as they mechanically handled white powder. From time to time, thugs with guns could be seen wandering around.
Seeing this, Alexandra's eyes revealed anticipation.
Lawrence, a believer in Dormammu, said: "Everything you want to know about that night in the factory is shown here."
After hearing this, Alexandra nodded slightly to show her understanding and continued to focus on the picture in front of her.
She wanted to see who had the guts to take action against the Hand.
Soon, in the image, the thugs threw their guns on the ground like madmen for some unknown reason, but shortly afterward, the guns floated in the air and flew toward three people upstairs. To be precise, two men and one woman.
Alexandra kept the faces of the three in her mind and prepared to investigate further.
The following scene made Alexandra frown slightly. These thugs were fighting like blind men, and then one by one, they were knocked down by the three people easily, like pieces of wood.
"Lawrence, can you reproduce the sound?" Alexandra asked. She felt that the behavior of these thugs was strange. Unfortunately, there was no sound. She could only watch their mouths move but could not obtain further information.
"No, we can only replay the scene visually," Lawrence replied calmly.
However, he looked at the branches in the hands of the three young people with great interest. He deduced that they were wands, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.
The next moment, his pupils shrank.
After the thugs were dealt with, a handsome figure emerged, and Lawrence's attention was caught by the ring on the man's right hand.
"Kamar-Taj... I didn't expect that," Lawrence murmured to himself, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
A Sorcerer of Kamar-Taj—this is the best sacrifice for his Lord.
Shortly afterward, they saw the four people talking—the three who dealt with the thugs—and Lockhart calming the deaf-mutes and taking them away.
After the scenes ended, Lawrence waved his arms again, and the scene returned to the beginning.
Seeing this, Alexandra recalled what she had just witnessed, and a trace of caution flashed in her eyes.
She had originally thought they were ordinary vigilantes at most, but she didn't expect that they actually had extraordinary powers.
Judging from the scene, it seemed the man in charge was training his apprentices and preparing to use the Hand as a stepping stone.
Thinking of this, Alexandra's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
Then, after a moment of thought, she said to Lawrence: "Is it okay to kill 100 sacrifices like before?"
After hearing this, Lawrence raised his eyebrows and said indifferently: "Of course, there's no problem, but I want all the sacrifices first."
However, Alexandra didn't respond directly. Although Lawrence's words were calm, there was a trace of ridicule in his tone.
"Too many—30 at most—and the rest will be given after the task is completed," Alexandra said flatly.
"Okay, no problem." Lawrence, the disciple of Dormammu, agreed readily.
This made Alexandra feel uneasy, but she said nothing more. Anyway, in the end, whether the other party could get those remaining 70 sacrifices was another matter.
Afterward, they exchanged a few words and left with Elektra, the Black Sky.
When Lawrence saw the two leaving, the corner of his mouth curled up.
It would be fitting to use these blasphemers, who stole the power of gods, as sacrifices.
Immediately, Lawrence turned around and looked at the 30 sacrifices, fear etched into their faces, with a hint of enjoyment in his eyes.
Then, he lightly stepped on the ground with his right foot.
In an instant, with Lawrence's feet as the center, dense black lines began to appear, exuding an evil aura, finally forming a sacrificial formation.
Seeing this, Lawrence waved his right arm again, and the black mist emerged once more, covering the group of deaf-mute people.
At the same time, a large amount of blood flowed from the black mist, and the surrounding lines emitted an evil and bloody smell.
Lawrence knelt on one knee, muttering to himself: "The great Lord of the Dark Dimension, the powerful god who controls the darkness."
As Lawrence prayed, a powerful wave of dark energy emitted from around him, responding to his sacrifice.
Immediately, the black mist seemed to be stimulated and began to expand rapidly. Lawrence's expression remained unchanged as he opened his arms, enjoying it, allowing the black mist to quickly return to his body.
Feeling the rich dark energy in his body, Lawrence nodded slightly.
The quality of these sacrifices was good, and he had recovered a lot of strength. If he hadn't been injured by the Kamar-Taj Sorcerer before, he could have swallowed up all the Hand and the others.
Once the fog dissipated, he looked at the dead bones of the 30 deaf-mutes on the ground. Sensing something, he smiled coldly.
As he turned around, the black mist enveloped him, and he disappeared instantly, leaving behind the blood-stained sacrificial magic circle and a heap of withered bones.
Not long after, several red-flame portals suddenly appeared. Kaecilius and other Kamar-Taj Sorcerers appeared in the factory, with Lockhart among them.
"Master Jonas, what do you think?" Kaecilius asked Master Jonas, who was responsible for detection.
"Lawrence, that guy... he ran away again." Jonas walked up to the withered bones, looked at the sacrificial magic circle around him, and said bitterly: "This guy has a nose like a dog. Any hint of danger, and he runs."
Hearing this, Kaecilius was speechless.
Lawrence, a senior Dormammu believer, had sacrificed many Kamar-Taj Sorcerers, including some of Kaecilius's friends.
Kaecilius was naturally upset to hear the news of Lawrence's escape.
At this moment, Lockhart felt a little emotional as he sensed the crowd of Sorcerers around him.
Their strength is good. It seems Kaecilius has brought most of the combat power of the New York Temple.
Kaecilius had, of course, shared Lawrence's information.
Lockhart had now joined Kamar-Taj, and according to their contract, he was obligated to deal with evil entities like Dormammu's followers.
What's more, he lived in New York and was good friends with Kaecilius, so there was no way he could refuse.
However, as he surveyed the familiar surroundings, a strange feeling welled up in his eyes.
Could the Hand and Dormammu's followers be collaborating?
After pondering for a moment, he walked up to Kaecilius and said, "Kaecilius, I have some information."
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