An old white man in his fifties with a slicked-back hair stood at the window admiring the prosperous and vibrant night scene of the street outside, and asked without turning his head.
As the permanent head of the Human Union's huge cyberpunk city on the ninth level of Baator, his status and authority are obviously much higher than Black Widow's.
To be precise, every move of the Human Alliance here must be approved by him, which is basically equivalent to the colonial governor in the Age of Discovery.
The reason for this situation is that people were frightened by the last big crisis caused by the financial stock operators below, and they are afraid that a similar situation will occur again.
After all, the conspiracies and supernatural powers here are not comparable to those on Earth.
Not only do many alien creatures possess various spell-like abilities including telepathy and shapeshifting, but there are also countless high-level and legendary wizards.
In such a crisis-ridden environment, if management is not strengthened to isolate all dangers outside, it won’t be long before the inside is infiltrated and becomes a sieve.
In fact, it has been severely infiltrated at the moment.
However, most of those who infiltrated were devils loyal to the lord of the ninth plane, Zuo Si, and tieflings with purgatory blood.
By completely surrendering to its backers, the Human Alliance successfully avoided being infiltrated or even controlled by other forces.
It's like you installed the most powerful rogue software on your computer and let it completely control your system. In this way, you naturally don't have to worry about other rogue software.
Because this big gangster will protect you and keep all the small gangsters out or clean them up.
Of course, this is also a helpless choice.
Although the Human Union is also investing a lot of resources and costs to train spellcasters at all costs in order to build up its own magical power, anyone who understands the magic system knows that this thing, like culture and history, relies on foundation.
Even the fastest rising magical civilization would need hundreds or even thousands of years to develop.
So before this, a civilization based on technology would be quite vulnerable when faced with magical powers.
Since I can't use my own magical powers, I can only ask for help from outside.
Currently, those responsible for the magical security of this building are basically subordinate agencies of the Ninth Level Intelligence System disguised as security companies.
Every time a member of the People's Alliance travels, they are accompanied by at least three to five professional bodyguards.
Of course, these bodyguards are not there to ensure the personal safety of the protected persons, but to ensure that the personnel are not subjected to mental control, suggestion, or even replacement.
If the situation is critical, they may even choose to kill the person they are protecting directly.
Therefore, unless it is necessary, the resident person in charge will not leave this building, which ostensibly bears the company's name but actually handles embassy work.
Looking at the back of the old white man, Natasha nodded very decisively: "Yes.
Since the end of the last expedition, the captain has been publicly speaking out against the People's Alliance and colonial expansion in various newspapers and magazines.
They even made some military massacres and atrocities public, causing very bad social impact.
Later, SHIELD directly intervened and blocked this information, causing him to become extremely disappointed with the entire society and even humanity, and then he quit the Avengers.
He has not contacted anyone since then.
According to the conclusion drawn by the psychoanalyst, the captain's high moral level makes him unable to tolerate the current colonial expansion system pursued by the Human Union, as well as the massacre and captivity of aliens.
So it's no surprise that the call-up was rejected."
"All right.
It seems that the government and the military made a wrong choice, doesn't it?
After all, the most important thing for a soldier is to obey orders unconditionally.
But Steve Rogers is not qualified in this regard.
Because he has too many ideas of his own.
But it doesn't matter.
Anyway, we have a lot of super soldiers like him nowadays."
When saying this, the old white man's tone revealed the arrogance unique to the elite class.
In his eyes, the hero who was once deified as a symbol of American spirit and patriotism is actually just a tool.
In the past, Captain America's super physique would allow him to obtain some privileges.
But with the popularity of Astartes Space Marines, his importance has been declining again and again, and he has completely become a thorn in the eyes and flesh of politicians and big financial groups.
After all, the big cake of colonial expansion has brought unimaginable huge returns to all social classes.
This is as ridiculous as if someone stood up and accused the European maritime powers of engaging in the slave trade during the Age of Exploration.
The vested interest groups did not kill Steve Rogers outright because of his special status.
Otherwise, if it were anyone else, he would have been shot eight times in the back and committed suicide by now.
As a spy, Black Widow certainly understood the thoughts of these politicians and high-ranking officials. She forced a smile and responded, "You are right. Not only do we have enough Astartes Space Marines, but we can also recruit powerful mercenaries here at any time."
"Well said!
We now have plenty of soul currency as activity funds.
It doesn't matter whether Captain America responds to the call or not.
I now authorize you to immediately recruit a group of mercenaries to prepare for the upcoming war.
Remember, set the bar high this time, we only want real masters."
The old white man calmly turned around, picked up a signed authorization document and threw it to Black Widow.
The latter took it and glanced at it, then asked in confusion, "Why is the commission so high this time? It's almost three times higher than the previous times."
"Because it's money to buy lives. The enemy we have to deal with this time is Thanos, who possesses multiple Infinity Stones. It is highly unlikely that they will come back alive and well."
The old white man gave the answer without hesitation.
To be exact, in his eyes, the lives of these mercenaries entered the final countdown from the moment they were selected.
Once the war begins, these guys will be thrown in first as cannon fodder to test the enemy's strength.
"I see. I think I understand what you mean. Don't worry, I will get this done as soon as possible."
After saying that, Black Widow nodded and turned to walk out of the office with the highest security level.
Under the gaze of several lustful men, she, wearing a business suit, black socks and high heels, quickly walked through the corridor into the elevator and went straight to her temporary room.
When the door closed with a bang, the ace spy finally took off his smart and capable disguise, revealing an exhausted look. He kicked off his high heels, fell headfirst onto the soft and comfortable big bed, and let out a long breath.
"Huh - I finally got through it."
It is not difficult to see from this extremely real reaction that Natasha Romanoff has undoubtedly been under high-pressure working conditions for quite some time.
Whether dealing with those dangerous mercenaries or scheming against even more terrifying demons, it all pushed her to the limit of her physical and psychological endurance.
If possible, she would rather put down all her work and take a long vacation.
But the problem is that these inhuman bureaucrats obviously follow the principle of using Black Widows to the utmost, and they keep sending Black Widows to carry out the most dangerous and troublesome tasks.
Including but not limited to the long-term recruitment of mercenaries from Baator Hell, making contact with other forces by sacrificing one's appearance, and even reaching some unknown secret deals.
During the busiest times, we even had to attend four shows in one night.
She couldn't even remember how many "people" she had had sex with in recent years, or how many perverted games she had played that had never been taught in the Red House before. She almost lost her life several times.
You have to know that the reason why Natasha chose to defect was that she felt that joining SHIELD would give her a relatively better working environment, and at least allow her to live like a human being.
But who would have thought that after going around in circles, I would end up back at my old job.
Especially after S.H.I.E.L.D. underwent a major reshuffle, all the people she once trusted and was familiar with disappeared.
The people in power today don't see her as a traitor at all, but only as a useful tool, nothing more.
Whenever she calms down, Black Widow can't help but wonder if her original choice was wrong.
After all, since you are destined to sell your body and looks, why not just stay in the Red House? At least when you work in the Red House, you still have to face the human beings on Earth.
But what about now?
It’s okay for those who are more human-like, such as dwarves, gnomes, elves, half-elves, tieflings, and vampires.
Even orcs, orcs, hobgoblins, and gnolls are barely within the acceptable range.
What is truly unacceptable are ogres, giants, devils, demons, yugoloths, and other creatures whose size and appearance can cause intense physical and psychological discomfort.
If possible, Natasha actually wants to be like Captain America, completely break away from the control of the Human Alliance and throw herself into the embrace of this city full of desire.
It’s a pity that she doesn’t have the same reputation and aura as the other party.
Once you commit an act of betrayal, you will immediately have a series of huge bounties on your head, and you won't be able to hide for long before you are caught by the ubiquitous bounty hunters and mercenaries.
After all, the Human Alliance has too much information about her.
A high-level spellcaster only needs a few divination spells to quickly confirm its location.
Just as Black Widow got up from the bed and began to take off her clothes, planning to go into the bathroom to take a hot bath to relax and then have a good sleep, she suddenly felt a pair of flashing red eyes staring at her in the darkness.
"who?!"
If she were an ordinary woman, she would probably have squatted down and screamed loudly, covering her exposed parts.
But Natasha, who had long since given up her sense of shame, did not do so. Instead, she immediately grabbed the guns and daggers on the bedside table.
Among them, guns are powerful decomposition weapons that can directly break the target into atomic state, while daggers are +3 poison enchanted weapons.
"Hello, Natasha Romanoff, I have been watching you for a long time."
With a slightly playful tone, a huge and fat snake-scorpion demon slowly walked out of the darkness.
The light released from his eyes seemed to contain some kind of terrible magic, which instantly frightened the Black Widow and made her unable to move.
Damn it! It's a look of contempt!
Although her body could not move, Natasha quickly realized what kind of spell-like ability she had been hit by.
This is a kind of spiritual attack unique to vipers and scorpions. Anyone whose will is not strong enough or whose mind has a flaw will involuntarily feel fear and tremble when being stared at.
But fortunately, this shock didn't last too long. After just a few seconds, she regained her ability to move. She pressed herself against the wall behind her and cautiously asked, "Who are you? Why are you spying on me? And how did you get in?"
"Haha, you seem to be very nervous and alert.
Those guys are pushing you to the limit, aren't they? Relax, I'm not your enemy, I'm here to help you get relief.
Because I can feel the anger, unwillingness and regret in your heart.
You long for freedom and a place that can truly be called home.
But the organization you are loyal to now cannot give you these things."
The viper demon was obviously well prepared, and he struck directly at the opponent's psychological defenses as soon as he opened his mouth.
As the devil who is best at gathering intelligence in Baator Hell, he had already secretly collected all the information related to the Black Widow, and he also knew that this woman was on the verge of collapse.
The more such a person is, the easier it is for him to be turned against others.
Hawkeye took advantage of this and successfully abducted Natasha from the red house.
The current snake-scorpion demon is just planning to use the same old tricks again.
"You want me to betray the Human Alliance?"
Black Widow's expression changed slightly.
The Viper Demon smiled and shook his head: "No, no, no, don't get me wrong, I don't mean to ask you to betray your race and hometown, I just hope you can do some extra part-time jobs on top of this one."
"For example..."
Black Widow deliberately dragged out the word.
Having been a spy for so many years, how could she not hear that the other party wanted her to be a double agent?
"For example, help us monitor Steve Rogers' movements. In exchange, I can promise to provide you with shelter when you need it, and allow your soul to turn into a devil while retaining your memories."
The viper-scorpion demon calmly laid out his conditions.
"Are you Lord Soth's man?"
Natasha is worthy of being an ace spy. She confirmed the other party's identity based on very limited information.
First of all, demons like the Serpent Demon were originally high-ranking officials in Baator Hell, and some were even close ministers to the great demons and even the level lords.
Secondly, according to the contract signed with the Human Union, all souls from the Earth will belong to Zuo Si herself, so only the Ninth Level is qualified to dispose of her soul.
Combining the above two points, it is easy to draw the corresponding conclusion.
But Black Widow didn’t quite understand why the other party asked her to monitor Steve Rogers, even though the captain had clearly refused to respond to the order to recruit the Avengers.
The Serpent Demon pursed his lips and smiled and nodded: “Yes, I am the intelligence officer directly under Lord Gramiel, and I am mainly responsible for investigating the conspiracy behind all suspicious behaviors in this city.
So please don't doubt my ability to deliver on my promises.
In fact, I have already prepared a contract.
Please don't worry, this investigation is not aimed at the Human Union, but at the god behind Steve Rogers.
Maybe you don’t know yet?
Not long after you left, he was chosen by the God of Loyalty and Courage to become the Chosen One of Torm.
So my real purpose is to confirm whether this god has some unknown secret plan. "
"What? The captain has become the chosen one of the gods!"
Black Widow was so shocked by this explosive news that her eyes widened and her face was full of disbelief.
After all, having been in this huge cyberpunk city for so long, how could she not know what the word "chosen one" means.
Any voter, regardless of their strength, represents the will of the gods behind them.
"That's right! Not only has Steve Rogers become the Chosen One, but he will also return to your world to practice his own ideals.
I have reason to suspect that there is some ulterior motive behind this.
And as long as you agree to join us, you will no longer have to look at the faces of those mortals. You can do whatever you want without having to suppress yourself.
You know, retaining your memory and reincarnating as a devil is a supreme gift.
Only those who have made great contributions have such an opportunity.”
After saying that, the snake demon took out a parchment scroll covered with tiny handwriting and handed it over.
As we all know, loyalty comes from two parts.
One part is the binding of interests, and the other part is the sense of identity and belonging.
But the Black Widow nowadays obviously does not have these two things, so she feels very confused.
Especially after knowing clearly that one's soul will enter the ninth level of Baator Hell after death, it is self-evident what choice is the most advantageous.
After all, many religions deceive people into believing in them by promising that they can go to heaven after death or be reincarnated as a powerful and superior person.
Black Widow gently put down the weapon in her hand, took the parchment scroll and quickly scanned the terms on it. After confirming that there were no major problems, she signed her name on it without hesitation.
In a flash!
Her soul was branded with an extremely eye-catching mark, and the mark also briefly appeared on her naked back, but soon disappeared without a trace.
“Is that all?”
With the help of a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror, Natasha reached out and touched the place where the mark had just appeared, with a strong sense of uncertainty in her tone.
“Yes, that will do.
You have already stepped half a foot into our ranks. From now on, you only need to complete the surveillance tasks I assign to you.
Remember, keep an eye on Steve Rogers. I want to know everything he does, who he contacts, and what he says.
Once you complete this task, I will grant you permission to transform into a succubus or succubus.
Oh, I almost forgot, this is your joining benefit.
There are potions, equipment, and some magic items in it.
Good job, I look forward to your first report."
After saying this, the Serpent Demon activated the teleportation magic and disappeared from the spot, leaving only the naked Black Widow standing there.
No one knows what is going on in this woman's mind at this moment.
…
At the same time, on the distant planet Vormir in the Marvel Universe, Thanos has arrived at the location of the Soul Stone with his baby daughter.
Even though Gamora originally planned to die rather than speak.
But Thanos knew her too well and easily found her weaknesses and breakthroughs.
However, what surprised the father and daughter who came from afar was that someone had arrived here earlier than them and even set up a large table full of sumptuous banquet.
“Hello, nice to meet you, Thanos.
You know, I've been waiting for you for a while.
Please take a seat!
Just make what you like to eat and drink.
Don't be polite, just treat this place as your own home."
Zuo Si sat on the gorgeous golden chair and made a gesture of invitation with a smile.
Kara, a Kryptonian girl wearing a sexy, gorgeous low-cut, backless long dress, was lying in his arms. She picked a purple grape, peeled it, held it between her lips, and put it into his mouth with an extremely ambiguous movement.
Such behavior not only stunned Gamora, but even the knowledgeable Thanos couldn't help but twitch his mouth slightly.
Even though Kara wasn't wearing her signature skintight Nemesis uniform today, Thanos still recognized the woman who gifted him the Power Stone.
But he could never have dreamed that such a strong man would now lie in the arms of another man like a mistress, doing his best to please him.
That look and skillful movements were definitely not fake; they were the two people's truest state in their daily lives.
"Are you the Soth who took away half of the Dark Dimension from Dormammu?"
Thanos obviously recognized Zuo Si's identity.
After all, the two had an indirect contact when the Chitauri invaded.
What's more, over the years, Zuo Si's transformation of the humans on Earth has been drastic, forcing a primitive civilization that didn't even have the qualifications to enter the universe to become a small overlord that occupied hundreds of planets.
Zuo Si smiled and nodded: "Yes, that's me.
Actually, I have wanted to talk to you for a long time, but I never found the opportunity.
Just in time, since you are about to get the Soul Stone, how about we have a drink together? Don't worry, I am not your enemy, and I never intend to stop you from achieving your ideals.
Otherwise I wouldn't have let Kara give you the Power Stone."
"Damn it! Why did you do this? Don't you know what this lunatic wants to do?"
Before Thanos could speak, Gamora took the lead in shouting excitedly at Zuo Si.
Because she was present with Star-Lord and others when the Power Stone was traded last time, so she recognized the two of them at once.
However, Zuo Si ignored Gamora and said to Thanos with a smile: "It seems that your education has failed a bit, hasn't it?"
"There's nothing we can do about it. Children will grow up one day and have their own ideas and life goals."
Thanos put on the look of an old father and walked straight to the opposite side of the table and sat down. He picked up the jug, poured himself a glass of wine, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
"So you forgive her betrayal?"
Zuo Si continued to ask questions with great interest.
Thanos smiled and asked, "What else? Can I still kill her? As a father, it is only natural for me to forgive my rebellious children."
“Hahahahahaha!”
When Zuo Si heard this, he couldn't hold it in and started laughing hysterically like a madman.
Not only him, but also the Kryptonian girl Kara in his arms was laughing uncontrollably.
Because there is no joke funnier than this one on this planet, in this place, and at this time, though it may be a little bit hellish.
"What are you laughing at?"
Thanos subconsciously frowned, his face full of confusion.
Although he is not a person who likes to laugh, he is not without a sense of humor.
But from the conversation just now, he couldn't find any funny points at all.
"No, it's nothing. I think you might have to break your promise. Because one of the conditions for obtaining the Soul Stone is to kill the person you love."
As he spoke, Zuo Si pointed to the cliff and altar behind him, as well as the words engraved on the altar.
As for the Red Skull who originally stayed here, he had already thrown him to Mirrodin to receive the complete transformation of New Phyrexia's Shining Oil.
"This is impossible!"
With a bang, the empty wine glass in Thanos' hand fell directly to the ground. He suddenly stood up from the chair and walked straight to the altar to check and confirm again and again.
Being a suspicious person, he even thought that this sentence was carved by the other party as a prank to tease him.
Zuo Si spread his hands indifferently: "It's up to you to believe it or not.
This is the only way to get the Soul Stone anyway.
Odin retreated in front of it back then, otherwise Asgard would have become the undisputed overlord of the universe.
Now it's your turn to take the final test.
The choice is yours anyway.”
Hearing this, Gamora, who was furious just now, suddenly laughed, and said sarcastically while laughing: "Killing your beloved? That requires talent. I don't think a madman like him would love someone wholeheartedly and without reservation."
"Oh - are you sure? You know, in my opinion, no matter how cold-blooded, cruel, and bloodthirsty a person is, there will always be some unknown weakness in his heart.
After all, the emotion of love is largely beyond the control of subjective consciousness.
When it comes, it will devour all rationality, making people become extremely crazy, and even do all kinds of actions that seem very stupid to them afterwards.
Once this emotion arises, it is not easy to disappear unless the person is dead."
Zuo Si looked at the daughter of Thanos with a slightly pity look.
Gamora, who knew nothing about her own fate, sneered and retorted: "You are talking about most ordinary people, but not my father. Because he has never loved anyone, and he will never fall in love with anyone."
"You are wrong, my daughter."
Thanos suddenly turned around, a tear flowed from his eye, slid down his cheek, and finally fell and wet the dry ground.
moment!
Gamora realized something and froze in place, as if she couldn't believe what she saw.
After more than ten seconds, she roared like crazy: "No! This is impossible! You have never loved me!"
“There are many ways to love.
Some of them are easy to understand, but others are more obscure or even downright disgusting.
Maybe your dad is just the latter, less expressive type.
You must know that in front of the Soul Stone, no one can lie or pretend. "
Zuo Si completely extinguished Gamora's last hope with a tone without a trace of emotion.
Thanos had already been completely insane, with only the obsession of saving the universe left in his heart. Without any hesitation, he walked straight up to his daughter, grabbed her neck, and threw her off the cliff.
That kind of decisiveness and determination in the face of extreme grief is chilling just to watch.
Because it is easy to kill an enemy or a stranger without hesitation.
But it is simply not something a normal person can do to kill the one they love so decisively.
As Gamora fell from the cliff with a bloody head and took her last breath, the Soul Gem, which had received a satisfactory sacrifice, finally slowly condensed into substance and appeared from another dimension.
Looking at the Infinity Stone that he had exchanged for his beloved daughter's soul, Thanos embedded it into the Infinity Gauntlet with tears in his eyes.
Snap, snap, snap——
Accompanied by the crisp applause, Zuo Si couldn't help but stand up and exclaimed: "It's really wonderful! Please allow me to pay my most sincere respects to you.
Because in this sacrifice I saw unparalleled determination and awareness.
Now you have surpassed Odin and become the first to hold the key to reshape the entire universe.
I sincerely hope that you can re-examine your plans and don’t waste this precious opportunity.”
"What do you want to say?"
Thanos suppressed the grief in his heart and the strong urge to raise his fist to hit the other party in the face, and questioned with gritted teeth.
He was not a fool. It was easy for him to see that Zuo Si had anticipated everything that was about to happen, so he was waiting for him here.
But he couldn't figure out what intentions this dimensional demon had hidden behind a series of confusing operations.
"Nothing, I just think that destroying half of all life in the universe doesn't really solve the problem, it just postpones it a little bit.
Because as long as there is no large-scale war, massacre and famine, the population will always continue to grow.
Instead of simply destroying life, you might as well set an upper limit for the universe or each planet.
When the population exceeds this number, wars, famines, massacres and the like will break out and reduce the population to a certain level.
In addition, you can also cultivate and build a race of reapers.
Let them conduct the Doomsday Judgment on the gods of the entire universe or a certain galaxy every once in a while.
Destroy all civilizations that have developed to a certain level, but leave some seeds that allow them to rise again after thousands or tens of thousands of years, forming a kind of cycle.
Of course, these are just some suggestions and inspirations, and it’s up to you to decide what to do.
Finally, I hope you will promise me one thing."
Having said that, Zuo Si suddenly paused, his eyes fixed on the Soul Gem on the Infinity Gauntlet.
Thanos undoubtedly noticed this, and anger suddenly appeared on his originally sad face.
"You want it? No, that's not right, you gave me the Power Stone for it in the first place.
You deliberately made me sacrifice Gamora in exchange for the emergence of this gem.
You used me! You killed my daughter!"
"I killed your daughter? Don't say that. After all, it wasn't me who pushed her off the cliff to death."
Zuo Si pursed his lips and revealed a dangerous smile.
You know, ever since the Soul Stone appeared, he has been enduring hard.
If Thanos doesn't know what's good for him, then he doesn't mind slightly modifying the plan to end this farce early.