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Ch. 273 The Obelisk, Diviner
🕑 Added 2024-01-24 16:00:08 +0000 UTCAlthough Skye's current behavior is quite different from before, Russell can understand Skye's current mood.
It's a feeling similar to homesickness.
Although Russell doesn't know exactly when Skye started searching for his own identity, one thing he is certain of is that it must have been a considerable amount of time.
It took a lot of effort and who knows how much time, and yet he still couldn't uncover his own identity.
However, now, in a completely unexpected situation, he easily learned his mother's name.
Just knowing that his mother is Jia Ying, Skye might have initially felt uncontrollable excitement and enthusiasm.
But after half a day of "cooling down," the excitement and enthusiasm have long disappeared, replaced by tension and confusion.
Although the contrast is quite significant, it's not difficult to understand.
"I can understand your feelings, but sooner or later, you will have to face this matter. You can't keep avoiding meeting her, can you?" Russell got up and went to the liquor cabinet, picking a bottle of decent whiskey from it and pouring a glass for himself and Skye.
"I know I can't avoid it forever. I've fantasized countless times in my mind about the scenes of reuniting with them, and I've also imagined the scenes of our life together after finding them. But right now, I really don't know what to do," Skye said with a conflicted expression.
After speaking, he picked up the glass on the table and downed the whiskey in it.
"Since you haven't figured out what to do, just go with the flow," Russell said as he lifted his glass and took a sip, speaking slowly.
For complex family relationships like Skye and Jia Ying's, he couldn't offer much advice.
All he could do was provide Skye with an opportunity to meet her.
As for what to do next, it would be up to Skye to decide.
"Yeah," Skye raised his head and looked at Russell, nodding silently.
"Alright, there's nothing else for now. You should go rest," Russell said.
After Skye left the study, Russell sipped his whiskey while contemplating his plan to activate Skye's superpowers.
Although Skye hasn't prepared himself to awaken his superpowers yet, Russell remembered that in the original storyline, Skye awakened his abilities before being brought to Afterlife by Gordon.
As long as he could obtain the Obelisk, he could use the Terrigen crystals inside to activate Skye's superpowers.
Whether or not to take Skye to the secret city left behind by the Kree wasn't important.
The Kree's secret city was primarily used to unlock the obelisk, Diviner.
With the knowledge that the Obelisk contained Terrigen crystals, Russell had plenty of ways to open it.
If he remembered correctly, the Obelisk should still be in the possession of S.H.I.E.L.D. and hadn't been taken by the U.S. government. In the original storyline, the Obelisk was taken by the U.S. government after Hydra attacked S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
However, in this world, that storyline seemed unlikely to have occurred. Pierce was killed by Russell ahead of schedule, and S.H.I.E.L.D. had obtained the list of Hydra members he provided. As far as Russell knew, there was only one S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft carrier equipped with turbines now, and there was no trace of the so-called Insight program.
After thinking for a while, Russell sighed helplessly. Although he knew that the Obelisk was currently in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands, he had no idea where they had hidden it. Without Natasha, the Black Widow, as his inside source, he couldn't secretly access S.H.I.E.L.D.'s classified files as he used to.
Forget it! I don't need to worry about it now. Skye isn't ready to awaken his superpowers yet, so there's no rush to get the Obelisk.
After making a decision, Russell finished the whiskey in his glass and then got up and left the study.
After enjoying a hot bath in the master bedroom's bathroom, he wrapped himself in a towel and walked out, heading straight for the freshly made bed.
He had only been lying on the bed for a short time when he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Russell furrowed his brow slightly.
The bedroom door opened, and Stephanie, wearing a black silk nightgown, walked in.
Just by looking at Stephanie's current attire, Russell could tell what she was up to.
Without waiting for her to speak, Russell spoke first, "Go out, I plan to sleep alone tonight."
In terms of appearance, Stephanie was not bad, and she had a good temperament. However, tonight, Russell had no intention of playing Flight Chess.
He had instructed No. 3 to brainwash Stephanie, mainly to balance against Gideon. Otherwise, Stephanie's abilities did not warrant brainwashing.
Stephanie did not expect that she would be so proactive, but Russell rejected her without even thinking.
'Is it because my charm is not high enough, or am I not dressed sexy enough right now?'
Stephanie couldn't help but furrow her brow, and a hint of displeasure appeared on her delicate and fair face.
However, that hint of displeasure quickly disappeared. She didn't dare to throw a tantrum at Russell.
After calming herself down, wearing the black nightgown that showed off her long, white legs, Stephanie respectfully said, "Alright, sir."
Then, swaying her enticing figure, she left the bedroom.
After Stephanie left the bedroom, Russell closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.
The next day.
Russell, who hadn't tried sleeping alone for a long time, slowly opened his eyes.
Although he hadn't done any bedtime exercises last night, he still had a good night's sleep and even experienced a long-lost feeling of relaxation.
A night without homework was relatively relaxing.
After getting ready, Russell took a clean set of clothes from the system space and changed into them. He then happily headed to the dining room on the ground floor.
Although it was still early, just after eight o'clock, the mansion's chef had already prepared an authentic English breakfast.
As soon as Russell arrived at the dining room, he saw Skye enjoying her breakfast.
Today, Skye was still wearing her official black combat suit.
Although the servants had prepared clean clothes for her, Skye ultimately chose to wear her combat suit.
It wasn't because the clothes the servants provided were not good, but because the clothes they sent didn't match her usual style.
The clothes sent by the servants were women's suits similar to office wear.
While these women's suits were expensive, Skye had never worn such formal attire since she was young.
Compared to suits, she preferred more casual clothing, like a leather jacket and jeans.
Seeing Russell, Skye, who was eating toast, said to him, "Good morning."
"Good morning," Russell replied and took a seat across from Skye.
As soon as he sat down, the maid in the dining room brought the prepared breakfast to the table.
Toast, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, sausages, baked beans...
Looking at the breakfast in front of him, Russell couldn't help but think of the breakfast Diana used to prepare. In terms of variety, this was exactly the kind of breakfast Diana used to prepare.
No, actually, this was a classic English breakfast.
Though Russell's breakfast couldn't compare to the breakfast at the flower-growing family's home, he had been eating this simple breakfast for years and didn't mind it much.
Britain was known for its "culinary desert," so having a breakfast like this was already good.
Russell had originally planned to finish breakfast and then deal with some final matters, such as converting some of the assets of Gideon and other top Hydra members into his private property.
Just as he was savoring his authentic English breakfast, he received a mental connection request from the White Zetsu soldiers.
These White Zetsu soldiersZetsu soldiers had received his orders late last night and had been traveling all night to come from America to Britain.
Normally, the journey from America to Britain wouldn't take this long. However, during their journey to Britain, these White Zetsu soldiers had made a detour in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to merge with the recently split second-generation symbiotes created by Grendel.
Russell agreed to the mental connection request from the White Zetsu soldiers and issued them new orders.
These "new" orders were actually additions to the orders he had given last night. For example, he needed to specify where these White Zetsu soldiers should look for the top Hydra members.
When he issued the orders last night, Russell wasn't entirely sure of the location of these top Hydra members in Britain. After extracting memories from Stephanie's mind, he now knew the location of their base in Britain.
After giving the White Zetsu soldiers the new orders, Russell glanced at Skye, who was still enjoying her breakfast.
Soon, he had a new plan.
"You can delay your return to New York. I'll arrange for a few White Zetsu soldiers to stay with you in Europe to gain some real combat experience."
Upon hearing Russell's words, Skye, who was eating toast, was momentarily surprised.
Is it that casual?
Seeing the puzzled look on Skye's face, Russell continued, "I originally planned for you to experience real combat yesterday, but unfortunately, Gideon didn't give you that opportunity. Since you don't have other commitments right now, I'm thinking of having the White Zetsu soldiers take you on real missions."
Although Skye didn't know why Russell had made this sudden decision, she didn't refuse and nodded in agreement.
After breakfast, Russell called Gideon and Stephanie to his study to begin the process of transferring assets and other final tasks.
After spending the morning doing so, his already substantial wealth had grown even larger. Russell smiled in satisfaction as he checked the balances in various bank accounts.
In the afternoon, two White Zetsu soldiers who were supposed to serve as bodyguards for the top Hydra members arrived at the mansion.
After giving them some brief instructions, Russell entrusted them with the task of ensuring Skye's safety. While Skye didn't have much combat experience, it wasn't a problem because these two White Zetsu soldiers were highly experienced in combat.
They had undergone rigorous military training before becoming hosts for the White Zetsu, which was why Russell had chosen them to gain powers far beyond ordinary humans.
Russell's mission for Skye was simple: eliminate all the forces of the top Hydra members he had killed the previous night. Skye was not alone in this task; Gideon and other top Hydra members would also send people to assist in the operation.
Once they had wiped out the forces of these top Hydra members, they could "divide the spoils" and redistribute the assets.
After briefing Skye, Russell, who had finished his final tasks, wasn't interested in staying at Gideon's mansion any longer. He opened a portal to return to the main headquarters of the Justice League.
Before stepping into the portal, he turned to Skye and said, "This is your first real mission, don't mess it up, and don't push yourself too hard. If you encounter trouble you can't handle, remember to call for backup from headquarters."
"Alright, I understand," Skye replied with a nod.
After giving his instructions to Skye, Russell walked toward the portal.
Back at the headquarters in front of Skye and others, he closed the portal and headed to Diana's office.
...
One month later.
The entertainment room at the Justice League headquarters.
The ping-pong table in the corner kept echoing with the sound of the ball being hit. However, strangely, to ordinary observers, neither the players nor the table tennis bats and balls seemed to exist.
The players were none other than Russell and Pietro.
To be precise, they were Russell and Pietro in their super-speed states.
Their speeds had exceeded the limits of human perception, resulting in this strange scene.
In the past month, Russell had continued his "slacker" lifestyle as usual. After handing over the position of Justice League leader to Diana, his responsibilities had significantly decreased. Apart from occasional visits to the Octopus Monster Industries to fulfill his duties as chairman, his life was akin to that of a "laid-back" unemployed person.
However, this was just on the surface.
As a space-time traveler with lofty ideals, Russell couldn't choose to remain idle at a time like this.
In the past month, he had never stopped working on improving his abilities. For example, he spent time each day sunbathing and learning more about magic, while also sparing time to spar with Diana to enhance their combat skills.
Besides, he hadn't forgotten to provide guidance to Hulk and Pietro.
Hulk's situation was straightforward; he remained the same. The only difference was how long he could withstand without getting beaten and how much damage he could endure.
As for Pietro, he was originally under the guidance of No. 3 to further develop and enhance his superpowers. However, after the events with the Hive and the mainstream Hydra, Russell took over Pietro's training.
Apart from Pietro, Russell was also responsible for guiding Wanda in developing and enhancing her superpowers. However, Wanda's circumstances were different.
She was currently involved in the production of her solo movie, and her time at the Justice League headquarters was limited. Therefore, Russell hadn't started guiding Wanda yet.
After a high-speed ping-pong match with Pietro, Russell finished his training for the day and headed to his study.
Upon returning, he asked No. 3 to project Skye's activity report from the past month.
While his decision to involve Skye in eliminating the top Hydra members was impromptu, it turned out to be an effective way for her to learn.
In the past month, Skye not only completed her assigned tasks but also took on new ones. For instance, she formed a team with the White Zetsu soldiers to capture members of Pierce's Hydra branch all around the world.
Currently, not only Skye but also S.H.I.E.L.D. was involved in capturing these Hydra members worldwide. However, their objectives differed greatly.
S.H.I.E.L.D. aimed to completely eliminate this branch of the Hydra, whereas Russell's goal was to capture its members and bring them under his command.
Just like with the mainstream Hydra, he didn't plan to recruit all the members of this branch, but the more important ones would not escape, such as Grant Ward, who was supposed to become the host for the Hive, and Agent 33, among others.
Although Russell was now in control of the mainstream Hydra and the branch led by Bakshi, he hadn't yet fully reorganized the Hydra. It would be after he absorbed this branch led by Pierce into his ranks that he would officially restructure the Hydra, giving the once-evil organization a new direction and making it grow stronger.
After reviewing Skye's activity report from the past month, Russell activated the ability of the King's Serum and established a mental connection with Grendel, who was far away in the Atlantic.
Grendel had practically become inseparable from Godzilla. Godzilla spent his days basking in the strengthening effects of nuclear radiation in the underwater temple, and Grendel had learned to enjoy a laid-back life underwater just like Godzilla.
Although Dr. Serizawa's organization had established a new base near the temple, neither Godzilla nor Grendel paid much attention to them. Unless Russell specifically requested their cooperation for scientific observation, they had no interest in cooperating with Dr. Serizawa's group.
While Dr. Serizawa's group posed no real threat to them, Godzilla and Grendel considered them to be constantly monitoring their daily lives.
If not for the fact that Dr. Serizawa and his group knew not to disturb their "cohabitation" lifestyle, they wouldn't have been able to establish a base near the temple at all.
After establishing a mental connection with Grendel, Russell inquired about their recent activities. He asked if Godzilla had sensed the awakening of any new Titan creatures.
After confirming that there had been no new awakenings, Russell severed the mental connection with Grendel.
Without any recent awakenings of Titan creatures, and with no information about them from the organization, Russell had less reason to worry about King Ghidorah suddenly awakening from its icy slumber.
However, the absence of recent awakenings didn't make him forget about King Ghidorah's existence.
After the battle in New York, the Justice League had refrained from seeking fame for some time. King Ghidorah was a good opportunity to regain their reputation.
