Chapter 135: Battles Between Superheroes

How could Michael not be anxious?

"Red Queen, locate that freighter, and remember, spare no cost."

"Understood, sir."

The Red Queen quickly breached the military satellite’s firewall, and within moments, she utilized its capabilities to pinpoint the freighter’s position.

"Dispatch all units immediately and surround them."

"Yes."

Alarms wailed on Twilight Island. A group of rats, busy foraging for wild berries, immediately assembled upon hearing the sirens. They grabbed their gear, boarded yachts, and quickly arrived at the designated location. The Cobra Security Company also received the Red Queen's orders; they reached the coast, boarded a scientific research vessel, and soon arrived at the scene.

Seeing the freighter surrounded, Michael couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. Suddenly, his phone rang. He picked it up to see an unfamiliar number. Only a few people knew his private number, so this had to be the caller. Michael answered decisively, instructing the Red Queen to trace the signal immediately. The freighter was easy enough to find, but he feared they might not be on board.

"Hello, Michael."

Hearing the voice on the other end, Michael frowned. This was the first time he had ever wanted to tear someone to pieces so badly. He had long considered the safety of Jack’s family, but he never imagined that his opponent would use a SWAT team to abduct them.

"Tell me what you want."

The man laughed and asked, "Can you guess who I am?"

"Loxias, right?" Michael said coldly.

"Indeed. Truly my masterpiece—as clever as expected."

Michael was seething. *Your masterpiece? Who the hell do you think you are?*

"State your purpose."

Loxias watched the monitors; a massive amount of armed force had already surrounded him. *As expected of a superhero, such efficient execution.*

"It was simple at first—you just had to give me the serum I needed. But now, I’m angry that you’ve surrounded me."

"And?"

*Should I not be surrounding you?*

"Go to a public square right now and draw all the other superheroes there. I want to watch you all fight. I want to see who among you is truly the strongest."

Loxias let out an arrogant laugh that made the veins on Michael’s forehead bulge. He crushed the railing in front of him with his bare hand.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

"What I want is irrelevant. What matters is that in ten minutes, if I don’t see you all fighting, your dear Martha will lose a finger."

Michael remained silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "Are you working with politicians?"

Superheroes fighting for no apparent reason, causing massive destruction to the city and endangering civilians—such an event would inevitably damage their reputation, and the ultimate beneficiary could only be the politicians.

Loxias chuckled. "You don't need to worry about who I'm working with; you just need to do as I say. Also, you wouldn't want anything to happen to them, would you?"

Loxias sent another video to Michael. In it, Jack and Martha were wearing specialized collars and watches, likely rigged with explosives—evidently, Loxias’s means of control. This effectively thwarted Michael’s plan to have his rats infiltrate the ship.

"Remember, they are your only bargaining chip. If they die, you’re finished."

"Of course, I’ll take good care of them."

Loxias emitted a triumphant laugh, as if everything were firmly within his grasp. And in truth, it was. Michael was backed into a corner; no matter what he did, it seemed futile. It was infuriating. As long as Loxias kept his wits about him, Michael had no way to neutralize him.

Michael hung up and smashed his phone. It was clear he was pushed to the absolute limit.

"No matter who you are, if you are working with Loxias, you are a dead man."

"What are you going to do now?" Keisha asked.

"Improvise."

Michael donned his armor and unfolded his bat-like wings, soaring into the sky. He soon arrived above the city, looked down at the bustling crowds, retracted his wings, and plummeted from the heavens.

The people were strolling about, enjoying a leisurely afternoon tea. Suddenly, with a thunderous crash, a figure fell from the sky, shattering the sculpture in the center of the square. Screams of terror erupted. When they caught a glimpse of the intruder, they realized it was one of the recently popular superheroes.

Just as they were about to cheer, Michael pulled out a massive cannon and fired a shot into the ground.

*BOOM!* The ground erupted, sending debris flying in all directions. Many were injured, and some even fainted on the spot. Ignoring them, Michael continued to fire at the pavement. The crowd in the square finally snapped to their senses and began to scatter in a panic.

Tony was drinking, flirting with Pepper, and just about to take things to the next level when Coulson called.

"Damn it, of all times to call, why now?" Tony said impatiently. He hung up, ignoring it. But Coulson was relentless, calling again. Tony hung up once more, irritated.

After Coulson persisted several more times, Tony finally answered. "Hey, what is it? I’m busy!"

"Turn on the projection."

Tony did so, and the screen displayed Michael firing at the crowd.

"What the...?"

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Tony immediately summoned his Iron Man suit and shouted, "Avengers, assemble!"

The team at the Avengers base heard the broadcast with confusion. They gathered, asking, "What’s going on?"

"Michael has lost his mind," Tony replied. "He’s on a rampage in Times Square."

"What?" Stunned, they rushed toward Times Square.

Iron Man arrived first, firing two repulsor blasts directly at Michael. Michael didn't dodge or evade; he took the hits head-on with his body.

"Oh, sh*t." For the first time, Tony felt his repulsor blasts were too weak.

The Black Widow arrived on the scene in a Quinjet, targeting Michael with the gatling gun, while Hawkeye and Captain America leaped out to attempt to reason with him.

Captain America stepped forward. "What is happening? We’re teammates; we can face this together."

Black Widow maneuvered the jet, keeping all weapons trained on Michael. This time, Michael didn't hesitate; he raised his cannon and fired at the Quinjet. Seeing the danger, Black Widow tried to land the craft safely, but it was completely out of control. She had no choice but to eject, escaping the crashing jet just in time.

Captain America and Hawkeye rolled aside to avoid being crushed. Hawkeye drew his bow, feeling a bit out of his depth given the vast disparity in technology.

Spider-Man swung in, catching Black Widow before she could even deploy her parachute.