Chapter 139: Killing Loxias

The Hydra agents on the cargo ship were left for S.H.I.E.L.D. to handle, while the Avengers took on the task of rescuing Jack’s family at the docks. As for the remote control Loxias had given him, Michael wasn't foolish enough to use it to disarm the bombs. There was no telling if the device contained a tracker to monitor his movements.

As for what to do about the bombs? Michael had full faith in Tony’s intellect; as long as Tony was present, disarming a couple of small explosives would be a breeze. Therefore, Michael simply tossed the remote onto the ship and went after Loxias.

Once Loxias boarded the helicopter, he respectfully handed the serum over to another man. This person appeared younger than Loxias, possessed a notably large nose, and was somewhat handsome. The man toyed with the two vials of serum, hesitated for a moment, and then injected them directly into his own body. Immediately, he began to struggle in agony; soon, a pair of wings sprouted from his back, and his fangs grew longer and longer. His body grew increasingly feverish, and he needed something else to cool himself down. After a brief moment of hesitation, he leapt from the helicopter into the ocean below.

Michael soon caught up. Seeing Michael clinging to the window, Loxias panicked and shouted, "Are you crazy? Don't you care about your foster parents anymore?"

Michael frowned, ripped the helicopter door off its hinges, and grabbed Loxias by the collar. "You aren't the real Loxias, are you?"

Michael picked up the two vials from a crevice in the helicopter. Both had been injected, yet the Loxias in front of him showed no changes. Clearly, this was not the real Loxias, but likely a body double or a "Shadow Warrior" of some sort. As expected, the fake Loxias laughed wildly.

"Michael, you were one move behind after all. My master has already obtained the perfect serum; his future achievements will be limitless. You will never be able to defeat my master again."

Michael smiled confidently. "That remains to be seen."

Seeing Michael’s self-assured demeanor, the fake Loxias couldn't help but panic. "Is there something wrong with the serum you provided?" He continued, "That’s impossible. I checked the serum; there was absolutely nothing wrong with it."

"The serum itself was fine, but I added a little seasoning," Michael decided to let them die with the truth. "I knew that once you got your hands on it, you’d inject it immediately and discard the vials. With your level of intelligence, there was no way you’d be running around with a container equipped with a GPS tracker."

"So, not only did I put a tracker on the bottle, but I also infused the serum with a massive dose of gamma radiation. He must be wishing he were dead right about now."

After explaining this, and under their terrified gazes, Michael hauled them out of the helicopter and shoved them directly into the spinning rotors, resulting in a spray of blood. As their mangled remains fell into the sea, the pilotless helicopter lost balance and plunged into the ocean.

"Red Queen, track and locate any strong gamma radiation signatures, using my position as the center."

"Understood, sir."

Michael couldn't leave Loxias’s fate to chance; he needed to see the body. What if he somehow managed to successfully merge with the serum? He would surely harbor a grudge, and if his luck were off the charts, he might even develop abilities similar to the Hulk. One had to be cautious; a repeat of the kidnapping of Martha was absolutely out of the question. That was why Michael had specifically chosen gamma radiation—something difficult to detect—as a marker, utilizing the tracking method developed by Dr. Banner. It was an old trick, but Loxias had fallen for it. If he hadn't bothered to check for radiation, he only had himself to blame.

While Michael searched the ocean for Loxias, Captain America and the others had found the container holding Jack’s family. After easily dispatching a few thugs, they prepared to disarm the bombs. No sooner had they untied the seals than Susie remarked, "Cool." The entire Avengers team was nearly present; it was so exciting she didn't know whose autograph to ask for first.

"Tony, how do we disarm this kind of bomb?"

Tony dismantled the device on Jack’s neck, observed it for a moment, and said, "For the one on the neck, cut the metal wire beneath the red one. The bastard added an extra wire; you wouldn't notice it if you weren't looking closely."

"The bomb on the watch is a pulse-triggered device. It can be remotely detonated, and it will also trigger if it detects no pulse." Tony observed it a bit longer. "I'm not sure which wire to cut; it's too complex to figure out in a hurry. I have two brute-force methods: one is to use liquid nitrogen to freeze it instantly, though his hand would be ruined. The other is to remove it, then cover it with your shield to minimize the blast radius."

"Understood, I’m ready, Tony." The Captain agreed without a second thought and stood outside, preparing to cover the bomb with his shield.

Tony nodded, then prepared to detach it and toss it over. Gwen suddenly spoke up, "Let me do it. My suit isn't afraid of explosions."

"Fine." Tony stepped aside, leaving the space for Gwen. After Gwen detached the bomb, she threw it out, and the Captain promptly covered it with his shield.

With a soft *poof*, like a muffled fart, there was no major commotion at all. Gwen followed the same procedure, and soon all the bombs were removed.

Meanwhile, Michael had found the real Loxias. By now, he had transformed into a giant bat with blood-red eyes, emitting a sickly green glow from his entire body. Seeing Michael, he let out a screech and lunged at him, completely devoid of reason. Michael watched him with a smile and drew a portal. The mindless Loxias, unaware of the danger, dived straight through, only to have his wings sheared off by the edges of the portal.

Michael let the severed limbs fall from the sky, then drew another portal and stepped through himself. They were now in Dracula’s ancient castle. Loxias, covered in blood, lay on the ground, struggling to crawl toward Michael. His severed wings were already beginning to regenerate; it seemed he would recover soon. Michael pulled out his Scepter of Mind, transformed it into a spear, and ruthlessly severed his limbs.

Michael then lifted his head and asked, "Loxias, do you regret making an enemy of me?"

The only response was a roar, utterly devoid of any rationality. Michael couldn't help but shake his head. The gamma radiation had greatly accelerated Loxias’s mutation, but the cost was the total loss of his sanity. What a waste. The current Loxias wasn't even worth interrogating. However, one thing was certain: this guy was a Hydra agent, and his cover identity could have been the FBI or even S.H.I.E.L.D.

Michael decapitated him, drove the spear through his brow, and killed Loxias once and for all. As he died, Loxias slowly reverted to his human form. Michael snapped a photo and then cremated the body.