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Ch. 302 Preparations
🕑 Added 2024-02-22 16:00:11 +0000 UTCThor furrowed his brows, casting a complex gaze at the divine energy crystal in Russell's hand.
Though he didn't know what Russell and Odin had just discussed, his intuition told him that Odin had deliberately arranged for Russell to give him the divine energy crystal.
As for the exact reason, he couldn't guess at the moment.
"All right! I'll keep it safe," Thor said, taking the divine energy crystal from Russell's hand.
"In that case, I'll be on my way. If you ever have the time, consider visiting Earth."
Russell spoke to Thor.
"Wait, I haven't given you the reward I promised you yet."
After receiving the divine energy crystal, Thor suddenly remembered the reward he had promised Russell.
"Are you ready for it?"
Russell looked at Thor with some surprise.
Though he hadn't forgotten about it, he no longer felt a strong need for those divine power books after awakening the Divine Sun Power.
However, if Thor was willing to provide them, he wouldn't mind.
As the saying goes, knowledge is power.
"Of course!"
"When you just attempted to awaken the Divine Sun Power, I had already prepared it and was waiting for you to come out."
Thor quickly replied.
"Mmm."
Afterward, Russell followed Thor to the public library in the Golden Palace and obtained the divine power books that Thor had specifically prepared for him.
After storing the thousands of divine power books in his system space, Russell extended his right hand towards Thor.
Seeing his gesture, Thor decisively reached out his right hand and shook hands with him.
"Then I'll be heading back. If you ever have the time, consider visiting Earth."
Russell said to Thor.
"Alright!"
Thor replied promptly.
Then, he gazed at Russell as he opened the portal to return to Earth.
Russell had no intention of using the Rainbow Bridge to return to Earth; instead, he planned to open a portal directly. The reason was simple; opening a portal was a more discreet way of returning. The Rainbow Bridge's teleportation effect was too conspicuous and wouldn't be suitable for some of his upcoming plans.
Soon, a circular portal with sparkling golden sparks formed.
"Thanks for your hospitality. Goodbye!"
With those words, Russell walked into the portal without looking back, returning to the headquarters of the Justice League, where he had been away from for half a year.
Upon his return to the Justice League headquarters' study, he closed the portal. After watching Russell return to Earth, Thor carefully examined the divine power crystal that Russell had given him, furrowing his brow slightly. Then, he headed towards Odin's study.
...
New York, Justice League Headquarters.
As soon as he returned to the study, No. 3's voice echoed in the room.
"Welcome home, sir!"
Russell nodded silently and said, "Compile the events of the past six months into a report for me. Also, where is Diana now?"
"Miss Prince is currently in the chairman's office at the Octopus Monster Industries headquarters. Would you like me to contact Miss Prince immediately?"
"No need, I'll go see her later."
"Very well, sir!"
After giving orders to No. 3, Russell first used his magical sensing abilities to assess the situation at the Justice League headquarters.
Hulk was still there, and Wanda and her brother, as well as Skye, were also present. He couldn't sense Kara and Gwen at the moment.
After confirming that Hulk and the others' life signs were normal, he once again opened a portal, returning to his own bedroom.
After freshening up in his room and changing back into Earth clothes, he didn't go to see Hulk and the others immediately. Instead, he opened a portal to the chairman's office at the Octopus Monster Industries headquarters.
As the portal formed, he saw Diana, wearing a white women's suit, sitting in the chairman's chair.
Diana's appearance hadn't changed at all; she was still as striking as ever.
Upon seeing the portal appear, Diana, who was handling chairman affairs, stood up, swaying her enticing waist in high heels, and came to Russell with a sunny smile.
"Finally decided to come back?"
Diana approached Russell, who had her slender and enticing waist in his grasp.
"I came back once the matter was settled."
Russell said while gently holding Diana's waist.
"It seems like you've gained quite a bit from your trip to Asgard."
Just as Diana was embraced by Russell, she sensed his changes.
Although Russell didn't look any different now compared to before, Diana keenly sensed the changes within him. She sensed the Divine Sun Power and Divine Thunder Power within him.
"It's not too bad."
Russell didn't intend to release his right hand entirely. He pulled Diana along to the reception area and sat down with her.
"I heard from Thor that the Justice League is now officially defined as a terrorist organization by the authorities. What's the whole story behind this?"
No. 3 had already compiled the events of the past six months, but Russell preferred to ask Diana in person, feeling more connected to the information.
"It's nothing much, just that a senior combatant from S.H.I.E.L.D. has returned, and I had a battle with her. We ended up in a draw."
"Since then, the authorities and S.H.I.E.L.D. have been revisiting old grievances."
"Finally, because you are currently the true owner of HYDRA, the Justice League was defined as a terrorist organization, just like HYDRA."
Diana explained quickly.
The senior combatant from S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Although Diana didn't mention who the senior combatant from S.H.I.E.L.D. was, Russell immediately guessed.
Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers!
Apart from Captain Marvel, no one else would be a match for Diana. In terms of combat experience and skills alone, Diana could easily outperform Captain Marvel. Moreover, both Diana and Russell possessed divine powers.
"You mean the woman called Captain Marvel? How did you end up in a draw with her?"
Russell asked with some surprise.
Although Captain Marvel was a formidable superhero, Russell didn't consider her a match for Diana. Not to mention combat experience and skills, Diana had the upper hand just because of her divine powers.
"Didn't you forget something? My preferred weapons, the Sword of Athena and the Lasso of Truth, are both in your possession."
Diana gave Russell a teasing look.
Ah...
Upon hearing Diana's words, Russell finally realized.
Diana's most preferred weapons, the Sword of Athena and the Lasso of Truth, had been taken by him.
Without her preferred weapons, it wasn't surprising that Captain Marvel and Diana ended up in a draw.
Apart from defining the Justice League as a terrorist organization, what else have the authorities and S.H.I.E.L.D. done?"
Russell changed the topic and continued to ask.
"There's not much else. They used reasons that didn't comply with legal regulations to seize some of the Octopus Monster Industries assets and properties."
"The biggest impact is that the Octopus Monster Industries military supplier status has been revoked."
"Other than that, there are issues with the unmanned factories controlled by No. 3, as well as accounting and tax problems at the Octopus Monster Industries headquarters."
Although the authorities had officially labeled the Justice League as a terrorist organization, it was clear that they hadn't completely severed ties. Otherwise, the Octopus Monster Industries headquarters and Justice League headquarters would probably already be under the control of the authorities and S.H.I.E.L.D.
"What about General Ross? Hasn't he said anything?"
General Ross used to be the middleman between the Octopus Monster Industries and the military and later became one of the Octopus Monster Industries major customers. In terms of personal and business relationships, General Ross should have some response.
"General Ross is no longer in the military; he was reassigned and is now the Assistant Secretary of State."
"As for his stance, in the beginning, he spoke on behalf of the Justice League in public, stating that the Justice League had only had some contact with HYDRA and couldn't be considered a true terrorist organization."
"However, it's clear that, being new to the political scene, he currently has limited power and can't do much."
Diana spoke gently.
"It seems like he's not a bad person. At least he didn't turn his back on the Justice League completely and gave us some leeway."
Russell smiled and said.
Although Diana had briefly explained the situation facing the Octopus Monster Industries and the Justice League, he already knew how to proceed next.
In simple terms, the authorities and S.H.I.E.L.D. had developed intentions to target the Octopus Monster Industries and the Justice League during his absence on Earth and had begun implementing those intentions. However, they hadn't completely severed ties yet.
If they thought they could easily define the Justice League as a terrorist organization like HYDRA without resistance, they were sorely mistaken.
He believed that rules were made by those with power, and right now, he was the one with the power.
While Diana didn't know what exactly Russell planned to do, seeing his current expression, she had some unfavorable suspicions.
"Just try not to go too far, innocent people are involved."
Diana reminded Russell.
"Don't worry, I won't make myself an enemy of Earth's humanity. However, if someone thinks I'm easy to push around, they're gravely mistaken."
Retaliation was a certainty!
If the authorities and S.H.I.E.L.D. had pushed the Octopus Monster Industries and the Justice League to this point and he still didn't retaliate, he wouldn't be Russell.
He had spent so much time and effort making the Justice League into a well-known superhero team. The authorities and S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't simply label them a terrorist organization without consequences.
"I trust you!"
Diana said softly while resting her head on Russell's shoulder.
"Don't worry, it will be over soon."
Russell caressed Diana's hair and spoke slowly.
After discussing these matters, Russell and Diana briefly talked about Russell's experiences in Asgard over the past six months, especially his awakening.
After spending more than an hour in the office, Russell once again used teleportation magic to return to the headquarters of the Justice League.
As soon as he arrived at the Justice League headquarters' living room, he instructed No. 3 to inform Hulk, Wanda, and others to come to the living room.
When Hulk, Wanda, and the others arrived in the living room, Russell first inquired about their recent status and then explained some of his upcoming plans.
After he finished speaking, Hulk nodded silently, indicating his understanding.
While Wanda and Pietro thought Russell's plan was a bit extreme, they didn't oppose it. They were not Americans, and they not only disliked the goverment but also harbored some resentment towards it.
If it weren't for the goverment always causing trouble around the world in the name of maintaining peace, Sokovia might not have ended up in its current state, and their parents might not have been killed by Stark Industries' missiles.
Given the chance to make the self-proclaimed righteous goverment suffer, they certainly wouldn't object and even felt a bit eager.
As for Skye, being an orphan who had experienced various aspects of life in the lower strata of society since childhood, she didn't see any problem with Russell's plan.
She even felt that the Goverment and S.H.I.E.L.D. were a bit overbearing, just like those wealthy individuals manipulating the law to bully ordinary people.
After chatting with Hulk, Wanda, and the others, Russell instructed No. 3 to contact Kara and have her come to the Justice League headquarters immediately.
Although Gwen and Peter were also members of the Justice League, Russell didn't plan to involve them in this operation. The reason was simple; they were not suitable for activities in the gray area.
While waiting for Kara to arrive, he used the mental connection ability of the King's Serum to contact Grendel, who was cohabiting with Godzilla at the underwater temple in the Atlantic Ocean.
He didn't ask Grendel to come to the Justice League headquarters but instead immediately dispatched Grendel to Washington, D.C.
As for Godzilla, he couldn't fly, and sending him to Washington, D.C., would be no different from letting him wreak havoc there. So, he didn't assign any tasks to Godzilla and let him continue his reclusive life.
Not long after giving instructions to Grendel, Kara, dressed casually, flew to the Justice League headquarters in a relaxed manner.
Due to the oppression by the government and S.H.I.E.L.D., the production of Kara's personal movie had been forced to stop. This also led to Kara's current extremely bad mood.
In this personal movie, Kara had put in a lot of effort and had high hopes for it.
First, the government and S.H.I.E.L.D. obstructed their filming with various inexplicable reasons, and then they took away the director and other actors with strange excuses. Finally, they even directly promoted Kara's personal movie as a potential threat to national security, forcibly halting the movie's production after nearly a year of filming.
If it weren't for Diana's intervention, Kara would have gone to Washington, D.C., to make trouble with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the White House long ago.
As a Kryptonian with a mental age of only in her twenties, Kara couldn't be considered mature and composed.
Upon arriving in the Justice League living room, Kara, wearing a skirt and a T-shirt, didn't mince words and directly pounced into Russell's arms.
Then, she sat on his lap.
"You actually went to another planet without taking me, and you left for so long without a word!"
Kara complained with a touch of coquettishness in her tone.
"I went there for business, not for vacation."
Russell replied with a smile.
"I don't care! Since you've been gone for so long, you must compensate me!"
Kara continued to say.
"How do you want me to compensate you?"
"I haven't figured it out yet. I'll let you know when I do!"
Kara quickly replied.
"Well, you can tell me when you've figured it out. Let's talk about business for now."
Russell patted Kara's shoulder, indicating that she should get off his lap.
Kara first gave him a charming look, then got up and sat down beside him, casually asking, "What business are we talking about?"
"Is destroying the U.S. military's base complex in the Hawaiian Islands considered business?"
At this...
Upon hearing Russell's words, Kara was momentarily stunned.
Then, an excited expression appeared on her delicate and fair face.
