This timely rescue allowed Tony to breathe a sigh of relief, yet it also brought forth a strong sense of crisis.
The experience just now had made it clear to him—
Simply keeping a safe distance from that big guy wasn't enough.
For the sake of his own survival—
Tony decisively flew to the rooftop of a building more than ten stories high.
At this height, even if Abomination launched another attack on him, he would have ample time to react.
After all, Abomination couldn't fly.
Climbing up to this height would take considerable effort.
Just then—
Jarvis' voice rang out again.
"Sir, General Ross is requesting to speak with you. Should I connect the call?"
Hearing this, Tony glanced at General Ross, who was a few hundred meters away, personally approaching the front line despite his subordinates' objections. Tony frowned slightly.
"Patch him through."
Although Tony had no idea what Ross wanted from him, he still agreed to take the call, considering the man's willingness to personally lead from the front.
"General Ross, what do you want?"
With the blood-soaked battlefield below, Tony held deep resentment toward Ross, and his tone naturally wasn't friendly.
However—
Ross didn't seem to care. Instead, he spoke in an almost commanding tone, "Listen, Stark, our military will create an opportunity for you. When the moment comes, we need you to fire that weapon of yours—the one that wounded that monster—straight into his head. Kill that piss-colored bastard…"
"Kill the piss-colored one? What about the green one?"
Ross paused for a moment before retorting, "Did you not see that Hulk is on our side? Without him, none of us could stop Blonsky…"
"Hulk? Blonsky?" Hearing these two names, Tony's voice turned cold as he seemed to realize something. He spoke icily to Ross, "Looks like, after this mess is over, you'll have a lot to explain to the highest military tribunal, General Ross."
"That's my problem, not yours, Tony Stark. Just make sure you don't waste the opportunity we're about to create for you…"
Though annoyed by Ross' tone, Tony considered the bigger picture and the countless civilians still evacuating. In the end, he responded curtly.
"I know what to do."
...
Meanwhile, Deep Beneath New York—
More than a hundred meters beneath the streets of New York—
A writhing shadow moved through the underground like a shark sensing blood. It slithered swiftly through the dense layers of soil, heading straight for Harlem.
Even through the thick earth and across a distance of thousands of meters—
It could still smell the overwhelming scent of blood filling the streets of Harlem, as well as the fear and resentment of countless people facing death.
"Hissssss…"
"Such a delightful scent… If I could absorb all that fresh blood and resentment, the energy would push me straight into the next stage..."
"Then I wouldn't have to keep hiding in the deep underground, accumulating power bit by bit…"
Suddenly, the writhing black shadow paused, as if wary of something.
"Wait… could this be a trap set by those Kamar-Taj sorcerers? Could they be trying to lure me out…?"
But soon, it started moving again.
"Doesn't matter. This amount of blood and resentment… Even if it's a trap, I'll take the risk… I'll just be careful."
...
Meanwhile—
Eren finally steered his Aston Martin through the dense New York night traffic and arrived at Harlem.
Due to the destruction caused by Hulk and Abomination—
And the joint lockdown by the military, NYPD, and other enforcement agencies—
The roads leading to Harlem had long been sealed off.
Vehicles clogged the streets, forming an impenetrable blockade.
Even pedestrians found it difficult to get close.
After finding a place to park his conspicuous Aston Martin, Eren quickly walked toward the police blockade.
Approaching the NYPD's tightly secured checkpoint, he didn't wait for the officers on duty to question him. Instead, he casually flashed a certain club's membership card in front of them.
The moment the officers saw the card, their gazes were instinctively drawn to the seductive woman printed on it.
In that instant—
Eren's hand, holding the card, flickered slightly, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. Like an illusionary cascade, his fingers formed a complex series of hypnotic gestures—so intricate that just watching them made the officers feel dizzy.
At that exact moment, an invisible psychic wave radiated from Eren's eyes, penetrating deep into the minds of the unsuspecting officers, distorting their perception and cognition.
With that done, Eren casually greeted them and stepped past the barricade into the restricted zone.
Seconds later—
Just as Eren was walking away, a detective—who had just apprehended some looters— glanced at Eren's departing figure and frowned slightly. "Who was that guy? Why did you let him in?"
One of the officers closest to Eren responded, "He's an FBI agent. He showed me his 'credentials,' so I let him through."
"An FBI agent? Are you sure?"
Staring at the young-looking figure in the distance, the detective furrowed his brows and asked again.
At this point, another officer who had also seen Eren spoke up, "Bob's right. That kid is definitely an FBI agent. He looked familiar… I think I saw him once during an FBI operation. Back then, he was just a trainee, but it looks like he's been promoted now."
With two of his subordinates confirming Eren's identity, the detective stopped doubting and let it go.
Right now, he had more pressing concerns.
...
As Eren walked along the streets, he suddenly saw—
A young girl, about ten years old, dressed in a white dress, desperately trying to push through the surging crowd.
That small, fragile figure—
Amidst the sea of panicked, stampeding people—
Was like a lone boat caught in a storm, at risk of capsizing at any moment.
Eren's hunch was correct.
Even though the little girl tried her best to move through less crowded areas—
Her small frame was too frail.
It wasn't long before a terrified man—fleeing for his life—accidentally knocked her over.
As she fell, the oncoming wave of people threatened to trample her.
At that critical moment—
Eren suddenly pushed through the crowd, standing like an unmovable wall in front of the girl—shielding her from the stampede.
"Careful."
He reached out, pulled the girl to her feet, and quickly led her out of the chaotic crowd.
After reaching a relatively open space—
Eren pointed toward a group of police officers managing the evacuation and said, "I don't know what you're doing here, but going any further is too dangerous. If you need help, talk to those officers."
The girl hesitated before softly saying—
"Big brother… I don't want to go to the police. Can I follow you instead?"
Eren studied her silently.
After a moment—
He sighed, lifted the girl onto his shoulders, and said, "Fine. You lead the way."
Eren's spiritual vision allowed him to see the battlefield ahead.
Amidst the chaos, two figures stood out—their energy was overwhelming, their vitality burning like an unstoppable inferno.
Such immense life force.
Without a doubt—
This battle was far from over.
Taking this time to help the little girl find her grandmother wouldn't delay him too much.
Besides—
He still had a clone stationed at the battlefield's core.
If anything happened—
The Joker clone would notify him immediately.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][www.p@treon.com/zaelum]
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[Thank You For Your Support!]