Chapter 223 The Boss Caught Dad
The Inhumans on Earth gather in a town called "Afterlife," which is isolated from the world. The only way to enter is through an Inhuman with the power of teleportation.
The location of Afterlife is not explicitly mentioned in the TV series, and Harry can only deduce from some details that the town is located in the Himalayas.
To be more detailed, Raina(I have called her Rena before that's a mistake) is a Nepali, and it was here that she was spotted by Carl Johnson, who is not a stranger but an ordinary person.
He is not allowed to enter Afterlife without permission, but he settles and moves close to Afterlife, so it should be at the southern foot of the Himalayas.
Nepal is very poor, but it has recently won a new historical opportunity - after the five permanent members joined NATO, its neighbor India also applied for membership but was rejected.
In other words, under the current political order, Nepal has always been in the second tier.
The first tier is the Five-Nation Alliance, and the second tier is other countries.
The joint guild of Osborne and Stark is similar to the Five Nations Alliance. Its legal status is lower, but its influence is significant. The lower level gives it more freedom in some aspects.
Osborne has invested in infrastructure, education, and healthcare infrastructure worldwide, including in Nepal.
The entire Nepali government is eagerly awaiting Harry.
Now is a critical period for Nepal's constitutional change. They abolished the monarchy a few years ago and are now legislating to establish the status of the president.
But no matter who becomes the president, Osborne's investment plan is critical. Even now, whoever can get close to Osborne can influence the election and possibly the constitution.
If Norman plans to invest in something here, it may be more sensitive, but the Osborne Group can expand at will. After all, it is a legal multinational enterprise.
After sending away the Nepali authorities, Coulson came up from the side:
"Interesting, you are more like a king than the previous kings of Nepal. What are you going to invest in here?"
Harry shrugged: "Infrastructure, education, medical care, that's all - I'm not a king, I'm just helping them in the spirit of humanitarian aid."
Infrastructure and the medical industry have always been the strengths of the Osborne Group.
As for the education industry, human resources are the only thing such a backward country can provide. The capable ones will be selected to continue their studies. If they meet the requirements, they can work for Osborne.
If they don't meet the requirements, they will be sent back to Nepal. As for what the Nepali officials want to use them for, Harry has no control over it. Anyway, he has tried his best to help educate them.
Departing from the airport, Harry was led by Coulson to the appointed restaurant.
Carl Johnson is an elderly man over sixty, with white hair and a slightly stooped figure.
He was once a good doctor who helped third-world countries. Unfortunately, he encountered Hydra, which changed his entire life trajectory.
His eyes were still bright at this moment - but the only thing supporting him was two things: one was his daughter Skye, and the other was his hatred for Whitehall.
Harry's eyesight was excellent, and he saw from a distance that the old man seemed extremely energetic, so he asked Coulson:
"You couldn't have asked him in Skye's name, right?"
Coulson smiled maliciously and nodded, then shrugged: "No way, he is only interested in this."
"...Your bonus is gone next month."
"That's illegal, sir."
"Then I'll deduct your vacation and send you to Africa after this is over."
Ignoring Coulson's expression, Harry walked straight into the restaurant.
Seeing Harry, Carl was stunned. Among the people the Inhumans feared most, Harry Osborn was at the top!
The Osborne Group's research in biotechnology is simply out of this world. It's hard to believe they wouldn't capture him and dissect him....
He stood up immediately, wanting to overturn the dining table in front of him!
Boom!
Harry took the lead in holding down the table before Carl could make any move - surprisingly, the table was of good quality and did not crack on the spot.
"Mr. Johnson, you don't want Daisy to see you like this, do you? Why don't you come down and talk?"
Carl was obviously overwhelmed by anger. Instead of accepting Harry's invitation, he blushed and shouted:
"Who do you think you are? Dare to threaten me with my dear Daisy? I must..."
Boom!
Before he finished speaking, there was another loud bang, and Carl was knocked to the ground, unconscious.
People inside and outside the restaurant began to scream, and Harry looked helplessly at his fists, silently instructing Lenin to burn the cellphones recording the scene.
Skye saw this from the shadows and rushed out to stand between them.
"Wait a minute! This is different from what we agreed. I thought you were just talking?"
"It's really just a chat, but he doesn't seem very friendly. You'd better get out of the way."
Because of the strange thing Carl injected into himself, he was extremely resistant to fainting and abnormal conditions, and was even immune to cobra venom.
By now, he was back on his feet unsteadily.
"Daisy, please step aside and let Dad kill this guy blocking the road. Then our family can be reunited..."
Hearing this, Skye was stunned: "What? Why do you want to kill him? I..."
Before she could finish speaking, Carl rushed towards Harry, but it was useless. Harry kicked him against the wall with one leg, causing deep cracks. The immense power made it impossible for Carl to resist.
Then Harry took out a palm-sized disk from behind and placed it against Carl's body. Electric arcs instantly surged through Carl's body, and static electricity locked his body, making him unable to even make a sound.
"What is this? You didn't say you were here to arrest my father?" Skye was already confused about the situation.
"The static electricity cage can turn a person into a living sculpture - although I never bring bodyguards, you don't think I don't bring any self-defense props, right?" Harry spread his hands.
"His mental and physical conditions are not right. Take him to a nearby hospital - you will reimburse the money yourself through employee insurance."
After saying that, Harry abandoned Coulson and the others and walked out - the smell here was really strong.
Skye looked at Harry's back and then at her father on the ground, a little unresponsive:
Her biological father started a fight with her boss as soon as they met, and threatened to kill him, but ended up unconscious without even meeting him?
Her father was arrested by her boss?
Coulson patted Skye on the shoulder and said: "He is the boss, let's start working - P78, it's your turn to work, carry this gentleman to a nearby hospital."
There were low footsteps outside the restaurant, and Ward, wearing GP armor, walked in.
As for which hospital to send him to, everyone knew it would be the hospital with the name "Osborne" on it.
---
### Chapter 224: Johnson's Story
Carl Johnson may be a lunatic, but his feelings as Skye's father are genuine.
When he learned that his wife had been killed and his daughter had been taken away, he concocted a chemical reagent that ordinary people could not withstand. He used it to make himself stronger in order to avenge his wife and find his daughter.
In a sense, this can be regarded as a civilian attempt to develop a super soldier serum, but it does not consider what will happen if it fails.
Harry shook the potion in his hand and said: "Your father is really powerful. Androgen steroids, liver enzyme blockers, methamphetamine, various metabolism enhancers, and even gorilla testosterone..."
Simmons added: "The most outrageous thing is not this. There is even a drop of peppermint in it - no offense, but your father is the craziest Frankenstein I have ever seen. In theory, it only takes one drop of this thing to kill a person."
The biochemistry expert was excitedly fiddling with the Osborne Group's medical facilities, with an obsessed smile on his face.
Skye had no idea what the two scientists were talking about, but she could tell it was definitely not a compliment.
"Tell me you can save him. I don't want to just find my relatives and have to... you know." Skye's expression was very complicated, and she still had many things she wanted to ask.
"Of course - there are the most advanced medical instruments in the world here, and this medical warehouse even has a small Canary device built into it - but wouldn't it be a bit luxurious to have this thing built into the medical warehouse?
In short, Mr. Johnson can be given comprehensive dialysis treatment here, and it only takes less than an hour for his blood to return to normal..."
Simmons paused mid-sentence, and the smile on his face froze.
Skye was confused: "What's wrong?"
Harry picked up an epinephrine from his hand and injected it into Johnson's vial - just adding an appropriate amount of epinephrine would turn this deadly medicine into a very effective stimulant, which could make people ignore pain, enhance strength and reflexes, and be immune to most neurotoxins.
To put it simply, this thing is even more effective and powerful than Osborn's combat stimulant.
This is the kind of stuff Carl Johnson used for decades.
"If his blood was purified now...have you ever seen those people in drug rehab? The withdrawal effects could kill Mr. Johnson." Harry echoed.
Johnson's problem mainly lies in his internal organs and nerves, which are constantly overloaded. Once the contents of his blood are purified, his organs are likely to fail.
After Harry and Simmons' explanation, Skye finally understood how serious his father's physical condition was.
But she didn't understand: "...Why would he do this?"
Harry put the perfected stimulant on the medical drone, which would be sent to the research center for formula replication.
Taking off his rubber gloves, Harry told Carl's story.
"During World War II, Hydra relied on the power of NAZI to capture a person in Hunan Province and used an obelisk to conduct experiments on her - I said that some people will become inhumans under the influence of the obelisk, with super powers.
Due to the failure of World War II, Hydra turned to underground operations. It was not until more than 20 years ago that the guy who conducted the experiment was released because Hydra found the woman back then.
He was surprised to find that after so many years, that woman had not aged at all! So they dissected the woman and transplanted her organs into their own bodies."
Hearing this, Carl Johnson in the medical warehouse trembled slightly - he was only controlled by static electricity, but he could still hear the sounds from the outside world.
Skye heard this and guessed the identity of the Hydra: "That Hydra is Whitehall? No wonder he looks so young. The inhuman's organs make him younger?"
Harry nodded and met Skye's eyes.
"And that woman, that's why Mr. Johnson went crazy - that was his wife."
Skye was stunned for a moment, then froze in place:
This means...that woman is her mother!
"I don't know what happened in that village, but in the end Hydra took the woman away and SHIELD agents found a baby, leaving a man who has been looking for his daughter for decades. That's it."
The huge amount of information has caused Skye's brain to shut down. Simmons on the side was a little overwhelmed. She wanted to comfort Skye, but she didn't know what to say.
In fact, Harry did not finish everything. There were still some things that Skye needed to confirm with her own eyes.
Harry said: "Dr. Simmons, do the hemodialysis now."
"But Mr. Johnson's life..."
"I would solve this problem at the genetic level."
Simmons was stunned: "Gene therapy? But Mr. Johnson's problem is not caused by genetic defects..."
Halfway through, Simons paused and looked at Harry, who was operating the medical warehouse, in disbelief: There are recent rumors that the Osborn Group has mastered adult genetic engineering technology...
You must know that general transgenic technology generally only edits a certain cell and then cultivates the modified cells.
For example, transgenic operations on animals generally involve operating on fertilized eggs and embryos, and then allowing the embryos to complete their development in the mother's body and obtain adults.
But adult body modification... costs and technology need to be improved, let alone genetic enhancement for such an old man!
And that's exactly what Harry planned to do.
He would genetically modify Carl Johnson to add a level one longevity trait to him.
Increasing lifespan cannot fully summarize the effect of this trait - the increased lifespan of the first-level longevity trait is more of an extension of the prime of life, and then a small reduction of old age.
Genetic modification of the adult body will rejuvenate individual organs, and this effect is particularly significant for middle-aged and elderly people.
"Doctor, in the Osborne Group, you need to let go of your imagination." Harry smiled, "That's what the Canary equipment is used for."
The drug molecular cloud formed by Canary filled the entire medical warehouse. The cloud began to penetrate from the patient's skin and reached every organ in the body.
This special drug rapidly changes the DNA sequence of the cells it contacts, provides nutrients and energy, and catalyzes the modified cells to divide.
"This... is so wonderful. With this technology, genes can almost become something that can be modified at will..."
"It's not random, there are still some flaws." Harry said, crossing his hands.
The cost of this method is very high, and this kind of liquid that can change the genes of cells without a glass needle is not cheap.
On the other hand, since the medicinal liquid penetrates from the body surface, the transformation efficiency is actually very low.
It takes a whole day to transform a single characteristic. You must know that under this situation, the medical warehouse costs more than $10 per hour, and the cost per day is close to $300 million, which is not something normal people can afford.
The current external price is $2 million per unit. The high price has not caused a shortage of sales. On the contrary, the sales are pretty good. It is conservatively estimated that there are about 2000 customers around the world. Once these leeks are harvested, the price will be reduced. The cost is to cut the leeks of the second echelon people.
Of course, if you are an Osborne employee, you only need a few hundred credits to enjoy this technology.
The next generation of technology is already being researched, and nanorobots are a good thing.
Chapter 225 Judgment
While Johnson was being treated, the International Military Tribunal was conducting the final trial of the Hydra leader.
"Alexander Pierce, Gideon Malick, Wolfgang von Strucker, Arnim Zola, Whitehall, Sunil Bakshi..."
A large list of names of Hydra leaders was read out. These individuals were spread all over the world, from various countries, including the United States and Germany. People discovered that the power of Hydra had never diminished, but had only turned to underground activities.
After reading the names, several people on the trial bench looked at each other.
"You have to fight for the crime of causing the war in Afghanistan, the five Middle East wars, the Armagh Island war, the Grenada war..."
Then the judge read out a long list of wars, almost all the wars that had occurred in the world since World War II.
Although World War I was called "the war to end all wars," in fact, an even more horrific World War II occurred afterward.
After World War II, dozens of wars related to major powers occurred in the world. If you include coups and civil wars in some small countries, this number should exceed three digits.
Many of these wars are still highly controversial to this day. No matter how much some countries such as the United States publicize them, they remain unjust.
If no one takes the blame, these wars and decades of propaganda will still have a great influence among countries. Even if it is suppressed at a certain period, it will be brought up again by people with ulterior motives at the next special time to make a fuss.
But now it just so happened that Hydra crashed, and all of them were captured.
The key is that many wars are indeed related to them, so it is not too difficult to let them take more of the blame.
"...all the above wars bear primary responsibility for the men, women, children, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters who died in the wars.
The verdict of the International Military Tribunal against you is: death penalty!"
Hearing this verdict, all the Hydras present laughed. This was not a proud smile, but an empty one.
To be honest, with so many wars, not every one of them was initiated by Hydra behind the scenes.
But it is obvious that the judges who tried them and the big countries behind them have reached a consensus. If this matter is to be settled, they will take the blame.
You must know that some judges also voted against the hanging verdict of Class A war criminals in World War II, but this time, it must be unanimously approved.
But what can they do? There is no way.
At that time, it took two years for the World War II war criminals trial to be completely concluded, but today, the trial only took a few months to complete the sentencing of the main targets.
However, the written information still needs to be sorted out in detail, and countries will continue to negotiate how to distribute these scapegoats. After all, the big ones are over, and there are still many smaller ones.
And these Hydras are no longer simple first-level war criminals. Countries have prepared a special level for them: Hydra war criminals.
Except for Zola, the others will be hanged - this is the most humiliating way to die in the West. In the past, the death penalty for nobles was usually beheading, and only civilians would be hanged.
At the end of the trial, several people were escorted to the door. The reporters' cameras dazzled them. A group of former Hydras wearing GP armor were waiting to be escorted on the street. These riflemen were majestic - unfortunately, they were just prisoners.
Seeing this scene, several Hydras thought to themselves: It would be great if at this moment, their hands were not wearing shackles, but scepters.
After the trance, Whitehall said to the camera: "You think you won? If you cut off one head, two more will grow."
In front of the screen, Harry knew that this was said to him
After all, it's hard for conspiracy theorists not to think too much about a world-class war criminal calling someone out.
Harry commented: "Hydra are all crazy. Mr. Johnson obviously knew this, so he did those experiments on himself. To be honest, it still takes a lot of courage."
Until the last moment, they will not regret what they have done, they just hate that they are not the winners.
Harry doesn't need them to repent, he just needs to make the best use of everything to make the world go in the direction he wants.
As for Johnson, he hated his inability to save his wife and daughter, which drove him crazy. For decades, he focused on finding Whitehall and killing him with his own hands to avenge his family.
After hearing so much, Skye's mood became more complicated. Looking at the old father who slowly removed his glasses in the warehouse, she didn't know what to say.
"Mr. Johnson, you should be able to think calmly now, right?" Harry said.
Johnson, who had calmed down, was considered an intellectual. Without the stimulants that made him violent, all he felt was sadness, but fortunately, his daughter was still here.
Johnson looked at Skye with tearful eyes, stumbled up from the medical bay, and hugged Skye. The latter did not resist, but smiled a little complicatedly.
Now it feels like a father-daughter reunion.
After a brief moment of warmth, Harry clapped his hands and interrupted the two of them:
"Mr. Johnson, you see, no matter how you think of Osborne, your daughter does not think I am a bad person. I have also fulfilled my promise to let you and your daughter meet. Now can we sit down and talk?"
A madman will not back down. Even if he judges himself to be at a disadvantage in his heart, he will act recklessly without hesitation.
Johnson, who has calmed down, no longer fights when meeting each other as before. Now he knows to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.
"I was impulsive before, and my brain was under the influence of those drugs..." Johnson said somewhat cautiously, circling his head twice with his hands as he spoke.
"It's understandable that you are a little confused. Now let's talk about it."
"Okay, okay, what part do you want to know?"
Then under Johnson's surprised gaze, Harry took out the obelisk.
"Let's start with this thing."
Harry's hands were wearing a pair of thick rubber gloves, a detail captured by Johnson.
"Uh--well, it seems that Mr. Osborne has realized that this thing is a very powerful weapon."
Harry smiled at this answer.
Although Johnson is not crazy, his vigilance against the Osborne Group has not diminished at all. The difference is that before he met them, he started to act, but now he knows how to play tricks.
It's just that Harry has no intention of taking it slow with him.
"Sir, I know the Terrigen crystal inside, and I also know about the Kree and the Inhumans."
As Harry said this, he placed the obelisk on the table and met Johnson's somewhat bewildered eyes.
"I hope we can be honest with each other, for the sake of your daughter and this medical facility - if I wanted to do any experiments on you, Daisy would already be in the cage now."
Johnson looked at his daughter and took a deep breath after receiving an affirmative look from her.
"Okay, but there's a lot involved and I need a moment."
====================
Chapter 226: I Want to Get You a Household Registration
"Mr. Osborn, please allow me to ask a question first: what do you think of those inhumans?" Carl Johnson couldn't talk about the alien tribe on Earth yet.
The so-called thinking was nothing more than discussing it with Jiaying.
Although Johnson had calmed down, it did not mean that he could completely set aside Jiaying and communicate with Harry. For decades, he had obeyed the words of his resurrected wife, and this couldn't be corrected in a day or two.
Besides, Jiaying really had to make the decision on this matter. Johnson was just an ordinary person after all.
But it was still important to test Harry's attitude. Skye, on the side, was also curious about how Harry would treat the Inhumans he mentioned.
"I would like to say that people with superpowers are still human beings. If they want to interact with normal society, they need to be controlled. I plan to recommend that the United Nations establish an agency to specifically manage these superpowers and register them."
"And then give them ID cards? But... will they freely disclose their superpowers? I mean, doesn't this involve personal privacy?" Skye asked.
"This is a bit troublesome, so it will need to be taken slow, but at least it will allow them to register their household registration first."
Johnson continued to ask, "What about your Avengers friends? And..."
"And me? Most of the Avengers have no objection to registering a 'Superman' project on the ID card, including myself."
Not even Captain America objected to the registration of household registration—he was still a legal American citizen.
In fact, even registering abilities shouldn't offend Steve too much. The key reason why he opposed the Sokovia Accords was that their actions were restricted.
At this stage, Harry just needed to register their abilities and then slowly form a management system for superpowers.
As for their actions, with the popularity of super soldiers and the collapse of S.H.I.E.L.D., their reaction speed was definitely not as fast as H.A.M.M.E.R., and it was difficult to make any impact.
Unless Steve wanted to enter politics, that would be more troublesome.
Managing these inhumans would also provide valuable experience for political and sociological research. As for whether they would cooperate with more scientific research, as long as they were willing to join society, they would need jobs. After all, not everyone had a steel knight as a friend.
Osborn would make them an offer they couldn't refuse.
"Of course, it's okay if they want to keep their identity secret. Osborn has always been very private," Harry added.
The data of ctOS could only be accessed by A, Harry, and T-Bone. Basically, there would be no leakage. If they wanted to present themselves as ordinary people in society, there would be no problem.
Of course, the data held by the Osborn Group was no longer just a little sensitive; it was super sensitive.
After listening to Harry's explanation, Johnson nodded thoughtfully: "I will go back... and think about it carefully."
"No problem, but I hope the process can be faster."
Harry didn't want to delay the Inhumans matter. Mars was about to land soon, but he had always been concerned about this plan.
Near the end of the meeting, Johnson was a little reluctant to leave Skye, but when he sobered up, he was able to control his feelings well.
"I... I really want to make this world simpler, but..." Johnson stood in front of Skye, unsure where to put his hands.
Skye could only reply, "It doesn't matter, I understand. You can tell them that Osborn is trustworthy and we can solve this matter together."
"I will." Johnson nodded with a complicated expression, but this matter might not be that simple.
After sending Johnson away, only Simmons, Harry, and Skye were left in the laboratory.
"How's it going? I've been looking for my parents for so many years, and now I can finally sit down and have a good talk with them," Harry asked proactively.
"I don't know, but I feel like he's hiding something from me," Skye shrugged, smiling a little reluctantly.
Her senses were sharp, and Johnson did hide something important from her: her mother was still alive.
"So what about this obelisk? Do you want to be a super-powered person like your mother?" Harry said as he picked up the obelisk.
Looking at this exquisitely crafted alien object, Skye looked into Harry's eyes and said, "Boss, to be honest, do you really want me to become that kind of person so that the company can study it?"
"Of course, do you still need to ask?"
Harry's generous admission made Skye feel a little less confident—was he not even trying to lie?
Seeing this, Simmons interjected, "I believe this kind of research must be scientific research that will not harm the research subjects, right?"
Harry spread his hands and said, "That's not necessarily true. This is alien technology. I can only say that I will definitely not conduct research on the idea of slicing people into pieces."
"Well, to be honest—it's Harry Osborn," Skye said with a smile.
To be honest, this answer was more realistic. After all, no one could guarantee that there was no risk in exploring unknown things.
"Dr. Simmons, how about you go to the Osborn Group to do research in this area after the experiment?" Harry said suddenly.
This doctor had grown to be an expert in alien research in the original work, proving that she had the ability in this area.
Letting such a research talent hang out with this agent every day would be a waste of her research skills.
Simmons was a little flattered by this proposal. This was an invitation from Harry Osborn himself!
However, she did not get carried away and replied tactfully, "I will consider your proposal after this incident is over—in fact, Fitz and I were originally members of the research laboratory, and it was my suggestion to join the field service. It seems pretty good now."
Although fieldwork was dangerous, it did help Fitz and Simmons grow a lot.
It's just that there wouldn't be so many thrilling agent missions in the future, but there would be many alien exploration missions.
"Speaking of Fitz, what is he doing now?" Simmons asked curiously.
Her partner Leo Fitz was an excellent mechanical engineer and electrical engineer, but he was also proficient in quantum physics.
How proficient? There was an alien who had the ability to use quantum entanglement to teleport. Fitz only did a little research and found a way to suppress this teleportation ability within a few days.
In the original work, he was still brain-damaged when he did this, which showed how amazing it was.
After Coulson's team captured Johnson, they went on separate missions.
Hearing this question, Harry clicked on the communication screen: "This is not a secret: my satellite captured some abnormal quantum fluctuations a few days ago, and now he is analyzing the data."
Fitz on the other end connected to the communication and waved towards Simmons and Skye.
"I'm in Osborn's research laboratory now... guess who I'm working with?" Fitz said and moved the camera closer to show several flexible manipulators operating instruments.
"It's Dr. Otto! Uh... Mr. Osborn? This shouldn't be a secret, right? I mean... I'm going back to work now."
Halfway through, Fitz realized that Harry was also there.
"It's really not a secret. You can call each other or something. You don't have to be so restrained."
The scientific duo looked at each other and excitedly discussed the advanced instruments they had seen in Osborn and their recent experiences. The atmosphere was very lively.
With the help of Dr. Otto, Harry believed that they would soon find a way to block the teleportation of aliens, and it wouldn't be a big problem to take a break.
---
Chapter 227: Teleporter
Before the true location of the Inhuman town is revealed in the afterlife, there is only one way to get there: to be transported by Gordon, the Inhuman with the power of teleportation.
Gordon's teleportation ability is said to be related to the phenomenon of quantum entanglement. Through the Osborne Group's satellites around the world, the quantum fluctuation phenomenon caused by teleportation can be easily captured. What's more, Harry already knows the area where this phenomenon will occur next. Where is it?
After Harry talks to Johnson like this, he will definitely show up to transfer Johnson so that Jiaying can understand the outside world's attitude toward them and Skye's current situation.
The ability to teleport is quite troublesome because it can not only teleport himself but also items and other people. There are almost no restrictions. Harry needs to take precautions in advance.
After sending Johnson away, Lena came to the hospital. Now Johnson didn't need her anymore. Besides, you only need to think about it carefully to know that Riana no longer listens to him.
"I have contacted him as you requested. Now can you answer me a question?" Raina asked cautiously.
As she spoke, her eyes were fixed on the obelisk in Harry's hand.
After being around the two parties for so long, she has already understood the purpose of this thing—it can select qualified people and then help them complete their evolution.
Harry replied, "Of course."
"I...can I turn into...them through that thing?"
Raina 's question did not surprise Harry at all. This person wanted to pursue her own meaning throughout her life and transform herself into a higher-level existence.
This mentality is related to her life experience: she is an orphan in Nepal, and came from lower caste.
The society she grew up in told her that everyone has a meaning of existence, and the meaning of their existence is written on their caste.
But as an orphan, she did not officially inherit a caste, and Johnson found her and told her implicitly that she could be a different kind of person.
After learning about the existence of these superpowers, she scorned the system that oppressed her, but she could not get rid of the deep-rooted knowledge in her mind—in her eyes, these superpowers and strangers were not the same
At this time, her meaning becomes to explore who the "other kind of person" is, where she comes from, and what her "caste" is.
Harry sighed. But Ironically regarding inhumans, their innate genes and the awakening system formed internally are really similar to the caste system. First of all, you have to be an inhumans, and secondly, you have to get the permission of the elders.
"Yes, but it may not be the same as you imagine. You will gain some kind of ability, but your appearance is likely to change and become a monster."
Lena's tone paused: "But... the transformation should be perfect. That's what Karl said. He said that the chosen person will turn into an extremely beautiful and holy form..."
Harry sneered: "That's the filter he added himself. Let me put it bluntly, if those 'noble and holy' people don't plan to get along well with each other, you will see how we 'lowly ordinary people' will deal with them."
"Maybe I wasn't chosen?" Lena said to herself as if she didn't hear what Harry was saying.
Seeing this, Harry threw the obelisk directly into her hand. In Lena's horrified eyes, the lines on the obelisk emitted a blue light...
She is not dead!
"Your genes meet the requirements, but like I said..."
This thing is really not easy to explain clearly, so he turned to say: "This does not mean that you can maintain human form or human appearance after transformation. If you want to give it a try, I can help you, but you must cooperate with my research."
Harry's attitude toward Lena was different.
After all, Skye is a diligent employee, and helping her awaken her abilities can be said to be an employee benefit, but Lena is purely an outsourcer, and she works on a piece-rate basis. At this time, there is no labor relationship between them.
This condition does not seem to be unacceptable to Lena. On the contrary, it is a good thing for her to be able to hug Osborne's lap.
"I want to give it a try." Lena held the obelisk in both hands and lowered her head in front of Harry.
In the end, she decided to undergo the Terrigen mutation.
Harry touched his chin. This result was not unexpected, but this awakening consumed a lot of resources. After all, he only had one Terrigen Crystal in his hand now.
He took the obelisk and said, "Yes, but not now—this thing is a scarce resource."
Lena had no objection to this, but she found that Harry could also touch the obelisk, and the obelisk had no reaction at all—it was like this thing couldn't screen Harry.
Seeing this scene, she lowered her head again.
"Sir, Dr. Otto has captured obvious quantum fluctuation phenomena and is conducting research," Oyce's voice suddenly sounded.
...
This time the quantum fluctuation phenomenon occurred near Nepal. Needless to say, this was the teleporter Gordon contacting Johnson.
In a hotel, the space turned into smoke, with blue lightning surging in it. After a brief distortion, an eyeless man appeared in front of Johnson.
Gordon literally has no eyes, not even eye sockets. The place where his eyebrows should be is as if they have been erased with an eraser.
"Why are you looking for me?"
"They know about the inhumans. Harry Osborn is looking for you. He wants to negotiate with you."
Johnson briefly explained the situation. Gordon wanted to frown to express his doubts and confusion, but unfortunately, he had no eyebrows.
"I didn't say anything, but he seemed to know everything—the obelisk, the kree—I heard that he had a good relationship with Thor. Maybe the Asgardian told him something?"
Johnson went on to add that the matter had nothing to do with him and that it was all discovered by Harry Osborn himself.
Gordon thought for a moment. This matter was urgent, but it was not his turn to think about it. What he wanted to do was to bring Johnson back to the afterlife and let Jiaying make the decision.
"You seem to have woken up a lot," Gordon said as he walked up to Johnson.
"Harry Osborn washed the compound out of my blood, so..." Johnson didn't hide it, smiling and spreading his hands.
"Then you are just an ordinary person now. Pay attention to your every move. I will keep an eye on you."
After saying that, the space turned into a cloud of smoke again, and the two people were wrapped in blue arcs and disappeared in an instant.
---
Chapter 228: Decision
Most of the Inhumans live in seclusion, out of human sight. Thanks to Gordon's teleportation ability, they established an isolated town in the uninhabited area of the Himalayas, relying entirely on teleportation to transport materials and manpower.
In just an instant, Gordon completed the teleportation, and now Johnson is here. Standing in front of him is his wife Jiaying, who has been resurrected from the dead.
Jiaying was originally from the China, but because she was tortured by Hydra, she awakened as an inhuman. Now she only thinks of herself as the leader of the Afterlife.
Seeing his wife with a calm demeanor, Johnson's complicated emotions almost made him want to run away, but for the sake of his daughter, he calmed down and said:
"...I found her, our daughter, and she's working for Harry Osborn now."
Hearing the name Harry Osborn, Jiaying's expression became very tense as she stood up from her chair: "Did he do anything to Daisy?"
In her opinion, the Osborn Group and Hydra are not much different. They are both mysterious giant organizations, and the larger the organization, the crazier their leader tends to be.
"No, no, Harry Osborn provided her with a job. She is working with the people from S.H.I.E.L.D. to deal with abnormal events—Osborn takes this very seriously, and he knows about our existence."
After Johnson finished speaking, Jiaying sat back down in her chair, her expression dazed.
After a brief silence, Jiaying said to Gordon: "Go back and rest. I have a task to assign to you after you finish here. Don't go out now."
Gordon nodded and left the room without asking a word. He simply told Johnson before leaving: "You know about our existence, and it has nothing to do with you."
Deeply influenced by Jiaying, he felt a strong aversion to Johnson, an ordinary human being.
Jiaying then said to Johnson: "What does he want?"
"He wants to get in touch with... you and register, and so on. So far, it seems that his attitude is quite friendly."
Jiaying had no reaction to the first part of his words, but after hearing the last sentence, her eyes changed slightly.
She looked at her former husband and realized that Johnson seemed to be back to normal.
"What did he do to you?"
"He...he made me calmer, just like the first time we met..."
"Ordinary people like that? You swore to protect us, but you didn't do it. Don't forget, humans are selfish and extremely aggressive. Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Osborn are all the same."
These words made the temperature in the room drop significantly. Looking into his wife's cold eyes, Johnson felt almost suffocated.
A few seconds later, Jiaying said in a softer tone: "Sorry, I'm just worried about what he will do to you. As you know, the Osborn Group has done a lot of research on the human body. Maybe they will use some method to control your thoughts."
"But you should be clear: no matter who it is, when they know of our existence, they will only want to exploit our value and control our freedom."
She sighed and then said, "We have to get out of here and resettle somewhere else."
But where can they run to? After talking to Osborn that day, Johnson realized one thing: no matter how far they ran, the Inhumans were linked to society through various channels.
There are fewer than 200 people in the entire tribe, and the number of inhumans that can be awakened is only a handful.
They need food, daily necessities, and building materials. Even if they are conducting scientific research on alien-related topics, they still need to "import" experimental equipment from the outside world. These materials are primarily obtained through illegal means.
As the Osborn Group's reach extends longer and longer, it is only a matter of time before they capture traces of inhuman activities.
According to his judgment, Harry Osborn would not negotiate with them at that point but would treat them as criminals.
Johnson said: "We— you don't have to leave here. You just need to complete some simple registration..."
"Karl, have they tampered with your brain?"
"..." Johnson paused, knowing he had to finish his sentence: "Our daughter, Daisy, does not reject the work of the Osborn Group. She has a normal life outside and has someone to take care of her. If we just leave like this, what will she do?
She wants us to go out and negotiate with Osborn; she wants us to integrate into society instead of living fearfully on the fringes of society..."
"She is not one of us yet! Karl!" Jiaying interrupted Johnson's tirade, "And she is too young. Have you forgotten what happened after I was exposed last time?"
The last time she was found by Whitehall, she was brutally dismembered and then eviscerated.
Johnson would never forget the experience of retrieving his wife's shattered pieces and sewing them back together. Moreover, it was that incident that had changed Jiaying into who she is now. He sat back in his chair, despairing.
"They want to mark us and monitor us, but what can we do? To then we are just a group of aliens hiding from the world, Karl. We have no ability to resist, and my people will not fight with me against them."
While speaking, Jiaying showed a slightly lonely expression, which made Johnson's heart ache, prompting him to hold her hand.
"If that ever happened, I would be on your side. You know I always will be on your side."
Hearing this, Jiaying smiled: "You are just like the first time we met."
Johnson smiled hollowly: "I must look very old to you now."
"No, this is still the appearance I fell in love with back then. I have changed. I hope you can understand that I must ensure the safety of our daughter and my tribe.
What did you experience there? What can you tell me about Harry Osborn?"
Johnson slowly told Jiaying everything he saw at Osborn Hospital:
Advanced medical equipment, terrifying financial resources, heavily armed agents and troops, as well as the situation of Harry Osborn himself—he is certainly not an Inhuman, because he still needs gloves to hold the obelisk.
After hearing all this, Jiaying said:
"If you believe Osborn is a good man, then I will trust your judgment and negotiate with him. I hope he will not harm us out of fear."
"He won't. You can hand me over. This will prove that you contacted them with peaceful intentions."
What Johnson meant by this was to confess to the agents he had killed— including Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. On the other hand, he was Jiaying's husband and could be used as a hostage.
"Karl, I can't..."
"No, this is the only thing I can do. I failed to protect you in the past; now, let me do it."
The two looked at each other affectionately, and finally, Jiaying agreed to Johnson's request.
---
Chapter 229 Meeting the Inhumans
"This set of quantum field disruptors can disrupt the quantum field in an area— to be honest, this interference has almost no impact on macroscopic reality, but I think you should have some new ideas."
Dr. Otto introduced Harry to the one-meter-tall conical device in front of him.
"Just in case, I want a larger version of this."
"The structure and drawings of the core part have been uploaded to the system—where did you find that kid? He is very talented."
The robotic arm pointed at Fitz, who was not far away. He was currently studying an exoskeleton diving suit with great interest.
"The original SHIELD agent. I plan to let him come to work in the company—he also has a student partner. How about letting them join your project team?"
Otto looked at Harry and said, "Connors' side would be more suitable for them. Dr. Hall has agreed to join our research, and that thing will bear fruit soon."
If you think about it carefully, the research direction on Connors' side is broader, and the difficulty and importance are more suitable for these two young people. Unlike Otto's side, the situation is more complicated.
Besides, Dr. Otto does have enough manpower for the project. Selvig, Otto, and now Franklin Hall have been added. I just hope that he will not join the project team with the mentality of blowing up Graviton.
"That's okay. Remember to let him go to the virtual warehouse for testing."
Then the two communicated for a while about recent research progress and new discoveries, until Oyce's voice rang out:
"Sir, Mr. Johnson requests communication."
Harry shrugged, indicating that he had to deal with other things, and cut off the VR meeting with Dr. Otto.
"Access."
"Mr. Osborn, they are willing to negotiate peace with you."
Harry touched his chin. He couldn't believe everything Jiaying said, but he still had to look good.
...
Harry called the entire Coulson team over. In the future, Inhuman affairs will also need to be handled by dedicated personnel. The Coulson team has experience in this area and has natural advantages that can be cultivated more.
The purpose of letting them handle this matter with Harry is to let them know his attitude, so that they don't have to deal with it personally in the future.
On the screen, Johnson looked at Skye and Coulson with complicated expressions: "First of all, I have to confess one thing. I have killed many people—most of them were Hydra, but if you think about it carefully, maybe some of them are... Young Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"What?" Skye was stunned for a moment, then thought of something.
Coulson immediately understood: In the past 20 years, as long as Skye stayed in a foster family for more than a certain period of time, that family would suffer misfortune.
When he learned about the Inhumans and Skye's identity from Harry, he wondered if the Inhumans had taken action on their agents. Now he knew: those agents died at Skye's crazy father's hands.
"I'm really sorry, but I hope you won't be prejudiced against inhumans—I will accept the punishment."
Harry nodded: "So this is the first 'gift' given to us by the inhumans. I understand, but where is the negotiation location?"
"I will send the location—this is the town where the Inhumans live, called the afterlife. It is beautiful here, and it should be the place where you grew up. I will wait for you here, and... your mother, she is here too."
After saying that, Johnson hung up the phone. The last words he said were to Skye, which directly caused Skye's brain to shut down.
"Did he just talk about my mother?"
Everyone looked at each other, but only Harry said: "Yes—after all, your mother is a strange person, and there may be some unknown secret method."
"Coulson, prepare for the meeting."
Harry winked at Coulson: It's time to get to work.
Interviews require a lot of work, especially when it comes to contacting this super-powerful group. They need to evaluate the other party's psychological condition, social structure, cultural inheritance, and other factors, and then conduct a series of script arrangements and deductions based on the purpose of the interview.
Rehearse with the think tank first, then rely on the interviewer's ability to adapt on the spot.
There is a lot of work to do before the meeting, and Skye's mood is not very stable now, so she needs Coulson, the "father-like" role, to enlighten her.
Coulson took his team away, leaving only Harry in the conference room.
"Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
"Please...please take good care of my daughter. If she doesn't want to be a inhuman, let her be an ordinary person."
"Osborn is a company, not an orphanage. It only provides jobs and does not interfere with life. It seems that your wife is very hostile to us."
Johnson said nothing; he didn't know what to say.
"But it is true that she is my employee, so you can rest assured that Osborn will never treat his own people badly."
Harry cut off the communication. No matter what Jiaying's plan was, as long as she was unwilling to cooperate obediently, no plan would go as she wished.
.....
As Harry expected, the location of the afterlife was at the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Halfway up the mountainside, they developed a small town of about a few square kilometers.
There is no trace of human activity within a thousand miles, and it is like a fairyland.
"So this is the afterlife...it's so beautiful," Skye murmured.
"Landing in 5 minutes—get ready." A voice came from the cockpit.
Landing on the outskirts of the town, a dozen riflemen wearing GP armor surrounded the transport ship. Teleporter Gordon was standing in front of the path leading to the town to greet the group of outside visitors.
After adjusting his clothes, Harry stepped out of the transport plane.
"Mr. Osborn, these people can't go up here—there are civilians up there." Gordon pointed to the riflemen beside Harry.
"No problem." Harry shrugged and followed Gordon with a small box in his hand.
"What's that?" Gordon pointed to the box.
"A gift, inhumans favorite thing." Harry didn't mind and opened the box, which contained an obelisk.
This thing is not dangerous to strangers at all. On the contrary, it is a deadly weapon to ordinary people.
Gordon reached out and touched the thing—nothing wrong with it.
"Let's go."
Under the leadership of Gordon, everyone came to the town. The number of people here was even smaller than Harry imagined. 100 people was too much; the population was definitely not in three digits.
The town is full of antique Eastern architecture, and all kinds of young people are studying here.
All the way to the town, Skye and Harry walked into the core house. The leader of these aliens, Jiaying, was sitting on a chair, and Johnson stood aside. Both of them were waiting for the negotiation to begin.
The woman still had stitching scars on her face, but she seemed friendly.
But Harry could clearly feel her nervousness.
"Finally we meet, ma'am. I am Harry Osborn, and this is your daughter."
Seeing the two people walking into the door, Jiaying stood up, and the mother and daughter looked at each other.
---
Chapter 230 Mutation
Mother and daughter met, and the two hugged. Jiaying gently stroked Skye's cheek with her fingers. "I have been thinking about you every day for these decades, but I can't abandon my people..."
Skye wiped her eyes. "It's okay, I understand you."
"How I wish I could talk to you about our affairs again, grow up with you, and then guide you to join us... But now I have to shoulder my responsibility."
Jiaying reluctantly let go of Skye and turned to Harry.
"Carl has made many mistakes. We have always prided ourselves on doing the right thing. Now I leave him to you, although it breaks my heart." Jiaying said while looking at Johnson.
"I understand that the greater good should come first, and I will leave him to you—just let Skye take him away."
The two of them seemed to be in a good mood, but Harry thought this woman was a little crazy in his physic sense.
Harry nodded. "Okay, Skye, take your father away."
Skye looked at her mother, then at Harry, and finally nodded, taking her father away.
But Johnson seemed a little distracted.
After the father and daughter walked out of the door, Harry sat on the chair and officially began negotiations on the Inhumans.
Harry took the lead in finding a topic and said, "Ma'am, I reviewed the information on SHIELD and Hydra, and I know what they did to you. It is truly outrageous—they will be punished as they deserve."
"If there's anything this long life has taught me, it's that you can never predict the evil that people can do."
What Jiaying said was very meaningful.
"I agree, ma'am. That's why I strongly suggest that all countries work together to completely remove the cancer of Hydra from the earth. I hope this can make you feel better. But whether it's SHIELD or Hydra, I want you to know that I'm not like them."
As he said this, Harry placed the suitcase on the table, then took out a small box from his clothes—this action made Jiaying nervous.
"I have prepared two gifts for you and your people."
One is the obelisk, and the other is the pendant found in Whitehall when he was captured.
It is a pendant worn by Eastern folk for children, signifying that the children will never be found by evil spirits—in short, it is to keep them safe.
Jiaying nervously reached out her hand towards the box—as if there were some savage beast inside. Harry had been observing her attitude through his psychic vision since he entered the door. Now he could completely confirm what Jiaying was thinking.
This woman is crazier than Harry imagined—the Osborn Group is not SHIELD, and she doesn't even intend to listen to advice.
Finally, Jiaying opened the box and breathed a deep sigh of relief when she looked at the pendant.
"After capturing Whitehall, we found this thing in his laboratory. I think this may be what you prepared for Skye."
Jiaying looked at the pendant, feeling deeply in her heart: "I never had the chance to give it to her. After that, I could only hope that she could live well and that evil spirits would never find her—don't be like me."
When she said this, her eyes were always evasive.
But Harry knew that no matter what, he still had to finish his words. "The Battle of New York brought superhuman beings into the public eye, and H.A.M.M.E.R. came into being. We hope to protect the world.
And superhuman beings are the tricky part: sometimes they are good guys, sometimes they are bad guys, and even if they are good, they can be deceived, like in St. Petersburg."
The St. Petersburg incident has been widely publicized, and almost everyone knew that the Avengers attacked Harry Osborn, but fortunately, in the end, they discovered that they had been deceived, and Jiaying naturally knew about it.
"How do you want me to help you?"
"I hope to get to know you, how many of you there are, and record your identity information. If you are willing, I also hope to record your abilities, so that when something happens, I can use it to determine who is a suspect and who is innocent.
Just like the identity records and personal files we maintain for ordinary people, this is treated equally."
In Harry's opinion, this was indeed similar to what would be done for ordinary people.
When people live in society, they will be registered from birth, what kind of work they have done, what diseases they have suffered from, and what mistakes they have made.
This information has many uses in the hands of the Osborn Group, making life easier, stopping criminally inclined people from harming others, and being used for medical purposes, among others.
But for some reason, these inhumans just can't understand it at all, especially Jiaying.
You must know that Captain America is unwilling to sign the Sokovia Accords because he regards himself as a benchmark and fighter for the free world. In other words, compared to the official, he believes he can represent freedom and justice more.
I don't care whether Captain America's idea is correct or not, but if these Inhumans truly want to live a normal life, why should they resist registration?
Moreover, Harry did not ask to register their powers at the first meeting like the original S.H.I.E.L.D.
However, the current situation is that after Harry said this, Jiaying's attitude changed 180 degrees.
She turned around and took out a strip-shaped object wrapped in a handkerchief from the shelf behind her.
"I have a return gift, a relic of our history—maybe you will be interested in it. I know the Osborn Group has always been fond of high technology and alien relics.
In my long life, I have seen countless people stereotyped because of their specialness, and it's amazing how the same mistakes are repeated generation after generation.
Why on earth do people feel they have the right to do this? Maybe it's because of fear."
When she talked about fear, her tone was particularly disdainful.
Harry couldn't hold back any longer. "People will be afraid of the unknown, and humans have overcome the fear trenches in front of them one after another by forming society and developing science. All I want is stability and prosperity."
Jiaying paused. "So we formed a tribe and built a town here. It was fear that made us do things we would never do before."
With that said, Jiaying opened the handkerchief. Inside was a cracked Terrigen crystal with a messy surface.
"The birth of the Inhumans relies on the Terrigen Crystal, and we only have five diviners—obelisk. If they are all destroyed or used up, our race will no longer be able to continue."
"So you started researching how to make your own diviner, and finally extracted such a crystal?"
Jiaying laughed and said, "Yes, we melted the divner and finally got this crystal—unfortunately, we were never able to separate the outer metal."
Harry continued, "That's not a problem for Inhumans, but it is for humans—so I'd feel more comfortable if you could put it away."
Harry leaned forward slightly. He had given Jiaying enough face, but it seemed that the woman did not accept it.
"Mr. Osborn really knows a lot of things." Jiaying smiled evilly and smashed the crystal onto the table!
The Terrigen Mist mixed with petrified metal suddenly filled the entire room!
"If you want to discover, you have to experiment—let's see if you are one of us."
The feeling of inhaling this gas gave Harry a sense of suffocation, and drastic changes occurred inside his body. Even with his superhuman physique, he could not resist this transformation, and his body turned to stone bit by bit—Harry was not an Inhuman, Jiaying had known this for a long time.
"How dare you talk to me in such a condescending manner, you corporate bastard—you and I are totally different!
Whitehall cut me open and removed my entrails, putting them in a jar! I will never allow you to do the same thing to my daughter and my people!"
But as the petrification gradually spread over Harry's body, Jiaying could not find a trace of panic on Harry's face.
"Interesting, it seems that fear has made you lose your mind—look at the sky, alien."
After saying these words, Harry turned into stone.
Watching this most powerful man on earth turn into stone, Jiaying succeeded in her first step, but she only felt doubt, confusion, and fear in her heart.
There was no turning back after just firing the bow. With a flash of blue lightning, Gordon stole a small Canary device and a pistol from Osborne's hospital.
Jiaying picked up the pistol, gritted her teeth, and shot herself in the shoulder.
---
Chapter 231 Crazy Jiaying
After walking out of the room with Johnson, the two started chatting on the road.
No matter how this matter develops, he will definitely go to jail this time. He must seize the time to talk to his daughter.
"You know, I've always looked forward to meeting you. Even when you were just a little baby in your mother's belly, I always wondered what kind of person you would become."
When Johnson talked about this, his expression was very happy, as if he was recalling his feelings when he first learned that he was a father.
Unlike before, Skye just listened silently. This was the first time she experienced real family affection, walking on the street with her father.
"You are really amazing."
Johnson stopped in front of the escort team, looked at Skye seriously, and said.
As an orphan, wandering through foster families, being accepted and then abandoned repeatedly, if only once or twice, Skye could still convince herself that she hadn't tried hard enough to integrate into them.
But the last time Skye was adopted, she truly wanted to find a home for herself—unfortunately, the family kicked her out because she broke a cup.
Growing up in this kind of environment, it's truly remarkable that Skye can still remain optimistic.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to get to know you." Johnson smiled kindly.
The sincere affirmation and encouragement from her biological father are very important to Skye. She has been wandering through society in her 20s and has almost never had a stable relationship. Although Coulson and the Osborne Group take good care of her, the approval from her family means so much more to her.
Everyone needs stable social relationships as support, and even having one will make a difference.
Skye looked at her father, who was nearly 70 years old, and smiled slightly: "I'm glad to get to know you too."
Boom!
The sound of gunfire interrupted the warm moment between father and daughter, and the two looked in the direction of the sound.
Skye's face was confused, while Johnson's expression was a bit complicated. The Osborne soldiers on the side escorted him into the spacecraft.
A huge black shadow enveloped the entire sky, and something pierced the clouds and hit the ground around the Afterlife. The massive impact sent everyone into a panic!
.....
[Terrigen Mist, a synthetic crude imitation of primagen(Godly mutagen) detected, is it absorbed?]
[The fog has been absorbed, and the spiritual power has been enhanced.]
Before Harry turned to stone, the system gave a prompt. It seemed that as long as his prosthetic body had psychic organs, he could absorb the fog across space and improve his psychic abilities.
Walking out of the warehouse, Harry moved his body—turning to stone and dying was not a pleasant experience.
What he put down to negotiate with Jiaying was just a semi-mechanical biochemical skeleton. He wondered what Jiaying would think after he knocked open the stone statue and saw the semi-mechanical organs inside.
"She has gone crazy, but those inhumans may be able to save her," Coulson witnessed the entire negotiation process.
"Really? It depends on their performance. As you can see, I have given them enough opportunities."
Jiaying is indeed a lunatic. This is how she went to war with S.H.I.E.L.D. in the original story.
However, even S.H.I.E.L.D. at that time still had aircraft carriers, Quinjet fighters, various advanced weapons, and well-trained agents.
Jiaying's inhumans include those who can control electricity, those who can clone themselves, and those who can teleport. However, the one who can teleport is particularly difficult to deal with; Harry truly can't figure out where she got the courage to do such a thing.
Moreover, what she did was not really clever, and her idea was quite simple: turn Harry into stone, then use a stolen gun to injure herself to unite the aliens to quickly counterattack and implement the war while everyone was confused.
"A, let those riflemen fully occupy the Afterlife—no casualties allowed."
"Considering that there are superhuman beings inside, such an order could cause significant casualties."
Harry smiled. Except for a few awakened aliens, the rest were just ordinary people now. If the riflemen couldn't do this, they should face death.
After all, this is the purpose of putting on this armor in the first place.
"The order remains unchanged; those ordinary people are still very valuable."
The time interval from when Jiaying killed Harry's body to when A deployed half a company of riflemen was no more than 10 minutes.
As Skye approached the house, she saw her injured mother walking out of the door.
"Harry Osborn tried to kill me..."
"What?" Skye was confused and had no idea what was happening.
Before she could exchange a few words, riflemen descended from the sky and quickly surrounded the area. The armor's built-in loudspeaker shouted:
"This place is surrounded. Your machinations are in vain."
Seeing the emergency situation, Gordon in the house immediately stuffed the Terrigen crystal into the improved Canary equipment—
The colorless smoke spread instantly!
"The opponent seems to have used some kind of biological weapon; turn on the filtration system..." The rifleman was reporting the battle situation, but soon an alarm sounded from the armor!
"The filter failed! I..."
Before the rifleman could finish speaking, he turned to stone.
And Skye, who was beside Jiaying, also found that her arm was gradually turning to stone!
Faced with her own changes, Skye fell into panic, and Jiaying said, "Skye, when you become one of us, you will understand our situation!"
The clouds created by Canary's equipment covered half of the Afterlife, and soon the riflemen and nearby townspeople were turned to stone.
The chaotic town became quiet, and Jiaying began to think that she was absolutely right to let Gordon steal this device.
As a once extremely controversial tool,that can deploy drugs in air on large scale, Jiaying has, of course, studied this thing—and concluded that it could help them transform inhumans on a large scale.
It's just that in the past, her policy has been to stay away from the world. Now, after contact with Osborne, her insane mind told her: It's time to step into the world.
Relying on Gordon's teleportation ability, she can transform a large number of inhumans, and then the transformed inhumans can join her battle line...
But are there really enough inhumans in the Afterlife? You must know that in the original story, Jiaying did not immediately increase the number of her kind after the war; instead, she ran to attack the aircraft carrier.
An improved Quinjet hovered in front of her, and Coulson began to shout:
"You've gone mad; stop your aggressive behavior! Think of your people!"
"You were the ones who attacked first..." Jiaying waved to Gordon.
Bah—!
Gordon wanted to teleport into the fighter jet, and his body became illusory, but he did not leave the place; instead, he reorganized in place—
With a bang, he fell to the ground!
"I... I'm trapped; how is this possible?!"
"This is science, you two." Harry's voice sounded again; the cabin opened, and he stepped out of the plane and walked toward them with his hands open.
Behind him followed a man in a cloak.
At the same time, more riflemen fell from the sky, and the impact stirred up a large cloud of smoke.
When the smoke cleared, Jiaying found herself surrounded again.
"Transform humans, make them become the same race as you, and join your war—what you think is too ideal it won't work in real situation, hag."
Looking at Harry, who was unscathed, Jiaying nearly fell into madness—had she never succeeded from the beginning to the end?
"Besides, don't you know that important meetings like this are all recorded?"
Harry spread his hands.
To be honest, what he couldn't understand the most was why S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't videotape this meeting in the original work, but the world was always so troubled, and he was used to it.
With a scraping sound, the rock formations surrounding Skye began to slide down—
Jiaying smiled—she had another subordinate, this time her own daughter, and she believed that Skye could help her out of trouble.
Harry was delighted when he saw this scene and ordered A: "Bring two Titans over."
---
Here's the revised version of Chapter 232:
---
Chapter 232: Confrontation
Skye broke out of the rock, and violent vibrations began to occur around her. This vibration was caused by her inner panic. If left unchecked, it could even trigger a small earthquake, but that would also place considerable strain on her body.
Feeling the powerful energy of her daughter, Jiaying was overjoyed. However, before she could say anything, her entire afterlife was engulfed in a black shadow—
Bang bang bang!
Several extremely smooth metal blocks fell from the sky, surrounding Skye, and the shock quickly dissipated.
Seeing this scene, Jiaying immediately changed her expression and tried to pull Skye out, but the electrostatic protection from the vibrations repelled her several meters away!
Three huge legion-level Titans followed closely behind, creating massive cracks in the ground and sending smoke and dust billowing everywhere.
The legion-class Titan stood 7.8 meters tall, and the hunter-killer cannon in its hand could reduce a military bunker to rubble in seconds, let alone this unsuspecting town.
The black barrel of the gun was aimed at the afterlife. The Gatling gun entered the preheating stage and slowly began to rotate. The riflemen retreated toward the outskirts of the town, leaving a wide open space.
Transport planes and fighter jets hovered over the afterlife, with plasma weapons brimming with energy and airborne missiles primed for launch.
All it took was one word from Harry, and there would be no town left.
The inhumans were confused when they saw these things—how were they supposed to fight?
Seeing this, Gordon wanted to insert crystals into the Canary Device again. Harry narrowed his eyes and waved to the rifleman behind him.
Puff!
The rifleman beside him accurately shot his left shoulder, and the tremendous kinetic energy obliterated most of his arm. The bloody left arm thudded to the ground in front of Jiaying, and her face instantly paled.
The pain rendered Gordon mute, leaving him curled up on the ground.
Harry said mockingly, "Are you confused about the situation? Which is faster, the gun or you? Did you really think I'm easy to bully? Medic."
A medic wearing blue and white armor entered the scene, passing by Jiaying as if she were invisible, and began to treat Gordon. This inhuman was still quite valuable, and Harry wanted to keep him alive.
The scene was silent; Jiaying's eyes were filled with hatred, while Skye was bewildered and didn't know what to do.
Countless drones flew out from the transport ship and laid down holographic projections in the center of the conflict.
"Extraordinary beings, I am Harry Osborn, a consultant to the United Nations Space Resources Development Agency and H.A.M.M.E.R. I am here for only one thing: to ensure social security. In the spirit of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, I represent the United Nations to make contact and communicate with you.
However, your leader Jiaying used alien biological weapons to attack me during the conversation—"
The holographic projection showed what occurred during the negotiation, and the inhumans and ordinary townspeople exchanged glances.
Skye's face was filled with confusion at this scene. Jiaying immediately began discussing the safety of the inhuman race, promoting the theory of human threats.
However, Harry had no interest in listening to Jiaying's lofty opinions and continued to address the inhumans: "I've heard that you will strictly select qualified inhumans for transformation, but you've seen that your former leader has used this weapon and also stole my Canary Device to expand its influence."
The Terrigen Crystal spread to half the afterlife, affecting many local residents, some of whom were not inhuman and turned to stone on the spot.
After awakening, the foreigner watched his companions turn into stone and felt utterly confused.
Coupled with the images released by Harry, Jiaying's actions had become increasingly indefensible.
Of course, the most critical factor was that Harry Osborn's unconventional troops had already pointed their guns at them—if they intended to capture them for experiments, there was no need to communicate amicably.
"He's lying to you!" Jiaying still wanted to resist, pointing at Skye. "He will cut you alive and dissect you for research. He has already captured my daughter!"
Harry smiled. "Skye, there's a button on the transport compartment in front of you; press it with both hands."
Skye hesitantly pressed her hands in. The mechanical structure on the surface of the transport compartment seemed alive as a pair of gloves slowly climbed up Skye's hands.
These vibranium metal blocks were created by Harry after Veronica and were intended to restrain special objects, making them quite handy today.
In addition to the restraining metal blocks, there was also a prismatic transport compartment surrounding Skye, which contained a set of vibranium gloves to assist her during the transition period.
"You can come out now—your ability is to control vibrations. During the ability familiarization period, this power may harm your bones and body, so I made this pair of gloves. You see, this is technology."
Skye carefully maneuvered through the dangerous-looking arc fence, which vanished as she approached.
Then Skye familiarized herself with the arm that had been restrained and discovered that it could deform. Once deformed, the restraining effect dissipated, and she could feel the vibrations again.
"My ability...is vibration?"
The inhumans present held their breaths as they watched this scene, their hearts filled with doubts and confusion.
"How... did you know her abilities?" Jiaying was bewildered. One must know that all inhuman abilities are unpredictable before transformation.
After transformation, they needed considerable time to learn and explore to master their powers. It was nearly impossible to prepare for such an unexpected event.
"This is the second thing I want to say: I can help you better understand your abilities, be prepared, and transform in an orderly manner—thanks to her."
The last words were directed at the hooded man beside him—
As he removed his hood, the man revealed his appearance: he was an unusual figure with light green skin, spikes all over his body, and pointed ears. He resembled some sort of alien creature.
She was the transformed Riana. After revealing her true appearance, Riana greeted everyone with a generous smile, unafraid of her looks.
After assessing that Jiaying was not friendly, Harry assisted Riana in awakening and provided her with psychological support and ability enlightenment.
The obelisk he had given to Jiaying no longer contained the Terrigen crystal; it was crafted from Antarctic vibranium that had been dissolved and recast.
"Her ability is to predict the future, and I escaped with her help."
As soon as these words were spoken, chaos erupted among the inhabitants of the afterlife—legends circulated about abilities inhumans might possess after awakening.
Among them was the ability to predict the future. Inhumans with this ability were called "prophets," and their presence carried significant religious implications.
The importance of a prophet to the Inhumans was evident; any character with such a title held substantial weight within a religious organization.
And this couldn't be faked—Skye completed the transformation in front of them, and then Harry Osborn produced the corresponding restraints and equipment.
The inhumans' attitudes softened; Harry could sense it, and it appeared that he had chosen the right path.
Noticing that the atmosphere was nearly right, Harry signaled to Riana to begin.
"In the future I see, this woman will lead our species to extinction—and that is indeed the case. Without my warning, this place would have been razed to the ground."
Facts spoke louder than words. The heavily armed soldiers, fighter planes equipped with super weapons, and ruthless Titans stood as evidence. If a full-scale war broke out, they would be doomed.
Through his psychic vision, Harry could see that the people were beginning to waver in their trust of their leader—his goal had been accomplished.
The atmosphere shifted quietly, and Jiaying realized that the tribesmen's gazes toward her were changing.
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Chapter 233 The Inhumans' Choice
Harry's original plan to contact and manage the Inhumans was not like this. He initially wanted to integrate them into society as much as possible, allowing them to adapt to the external system and manage them accordingly.
However, after arriving here, Harry realized a significant problem: the caste system among the Inhumans could actually be considered innate, a de facto social classification. Several factors contributed to their actual "caste system."
One factor is the scarcity of Terrigen crystals, another is the potential for alien transformation, and the third is their extremely closed society.
Ordinary individuals are undoubtedly the lowest in their tribes, while the descendants of Inhumans and humans may not necessarily be classified as Inhumans.
To stand out in their society, one must possess potential, which is considered second class.
Even if one has the potential for transformation, due to the scarcity of Terrigen crystals, they must obtain approval from the upper echelons before acquiring the crystals for transformation. This represents the first level and the highest authority within the tribe.
Transformed Inhumans are regarded as the highest tier. They must be born with potential and must secure the necessary resources with the permission of those in power. They are inherently subject to hierarchical structures, and the acquired status results from resource allocation issues.
For these individuals who have been educated by outsiders since childhood, Harry's insistence on their integration into the international community may breed resentment.
This situation mirrors the British colonization of India, where the colonizers attempted to impose their own operational rules, conducting censuses based on gender, religion, and industry .
Deep down, the Inhumans are reluctant to accept Harry's superpower census. They are not keen on integrating into the external world; superpower politics work well for them.
Once Harry grasped this reality, he decided to offer a solution.
Riana, endowed with the power of prophecy, was a perfect fit.
Their demeanor shifted immediately, especially since they were already fearful of the black muzzle. The "Prophet" appeared just in time.
"If you are willing to believe me, stand on this side, and I will be responsible for you—I have seen that you will stand on the right side." Riana stood up and bowed slightly to the Inhumans.
The status of a prophet is evidently unique here. Soon, the first Inhuman approached Lena's side, followed by the second, the third… until a long line formed on her side.
The civilians calmed down, and it was now Coulson's turn to fulfill his role.
"Looks like your strategy was successful," Coulson remarked as he passed by Harry.
Harry shrugged. "We can say that the Goddess of Luck is blessing us. We have a 'prophet' here."
It's important to note that not everyone in the small tribe is satisfied with the status quo—there was once a woman who was displeased that Jiaying controlled the crystals, preventing her and her daughter from completing their transformations. Harboring resentment, she eventually stole a crystal herself.
The emergence of the prophet allows them to believe that their leader will always make the right choices, as she possesses the innate ability to predict the future, which is significant for those with superstitions about superpowers.
Witnessing this, Jiaying's eyes nearly bulged out of her head; however, she remained convinced that humans are untrustworthy, especially Harry Osborn!
As for the prophet, she dismisses any of this; she believes she must be the leader! The Inhumans can only survive under her command!
Yet regardless of her intentions, Harry would not allow her to act on them. The paralysis bomb, infused with cobra venom, incapacitated her, causing her to lose consciousness completely.
Skye watched, seemingly in a daze, as her mother was also captured, as if she had lost her spirit.
"What are you going to do with her?"
Harry glanced at his employee, considering how unfortunate it was for Skye to have both her parents apprehended in one day—especially her mother, as this was the first day they had met.
However, in Harry's view, compared to Carl Johnson, Jiaying is not a good mother. In the TV series, she nearly killed Skye, but thanks to Johnson's righteousness, he saved his daughter.
When comparing the two: Jiaying instigated an unwise war out of fear, and even her daughter could not dissuade her; Johnson went mad out of regret but ultimately regained his sanity due to Skye.
The suffering caused by Hydra turned Jiaying into an extremist.
Harry was more inclined to grant Johnson a chance. As for Jiaying, they would see how she behaved in prison.
"She will be imprisoned, but I won't let you harm her. You can slowly get to know her—and your father."
From a legal standpoint, Jiaying essentially killed riflemen wearing GP armor, which was not deemed a felony.
Johnson's actions are somewhat more serious, but most of the people he killed were Hydra. Considering his mental state, motive, and personal experience, he likely won't face consequences for wearing GP armor.
In other words, Skye would be able to visit the prison after a while.
She felt slightly relieved after hearing this news.
Noticing her reaction, Harry knew that Jiaying would seize the opportunity to instill negative ideas in Skye during her prison visit, potentially prompting her escape and causing trouble.
Thus, Harry reminded her, "But I don't know if you noticed, your father insists on calling you Daisy, while your mother calls you Skye."
Skye froze.
"Just a casual mention— you still have 30 days of annual leave. It's the end of the year. If you don't apply, it will expire."
Disregarding Skye's reaction, Harry stepped onto his transport plane, with Riana following him silently.
"What do you think? Have you seen this scene?"
Riana's superpower is the ability to predict. Based on the original work's portrayal, it seems the content of her predictions is immutable, and the mechanism is quite mysterious.
However, Harry discovered some clues. Some strange energy seems to be contained in the barbs on Lena's body.
Lena replied, somewhat confused, "I… saw some things, but there is a difference—I saw you completely turn to stone, and you weren't present in the following scenes."
"Anything else?"
"Now, when I try to find you, multiple scenes occur simultaneously."
Harry stroked his chin. It seemed that he had made Riana less confident in her abilities, as it appeared challenging for her to foresee himself in the future.
However, to understand why this situation occurs, one must comprehend the mechanism behind her predictions. He can utilize the psychic scepter for research on this in the future; there's no hurry. They can wait until the Inhumans stabilize.
"What should I do next?" Riana asked.
Even with her predictive abilities, she felt awe toward Harry—before her transformation, he had mentioned her abilities and potential side effects. After learning about the Inhumans, she became increasingly aware of it, feeling it was astounding!
Now, her powers seemed ineffective on this man… which made her even more compliant.
Harry was pleased with Riana 's attitude. After all, it was ideal for the Inhumans on Earth to have a leader who was willing to follow.
"As I said, step forward to assess the situation of your tribe and manage them—you can do whatever you want, but remember to report to H.A.M.M.E.R. for approval before initiating any transformations."
"Your direct supervisor is A; she will coordinate things. Work hard, Riana."
After explaining the situation, Harry reclined in his prosthetic body within the warehouse.
Next, he planned to travel to China to see how the joint venture's fusion power station was progressing, and then prepare to attend the World Energy Conference.
This conference would mark the official retirement of old energy sources. He hoped the CEO of Roxon wouldn't cry on the spot.
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