A series of gunshots filled with murderous intent rang out, causing the crowd to scatter in all directions. No matter who they were, when faced with the dozens of submachine guns aimed at them, their boiling blood turned cold, freezing them to the bone.
At that moment, everyone realized that these soldiers were truly willing to fire.
This time, they were aiming at the empty sky, but next time it could just as easily be a bloodied body—
“Everyone step back! No one is allowed within thirty miles of this area!” A commanding officer stood at the front of a vehicle, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd. He leveled his submachine gun and shouted, “Now, does anyone have any objections?”
The crowd swallowed hard, their throats bobbing.
With the situation under control, the officer waved his hand, and the armed forces continued to push outward. Journalists, industry leaders, and department heads all retreated under the threat of firearms.
Suddenly, someone shouted, “Iron Man and Spider-Man are here!”
Eyes shifted as two figures streaked through the air. At an altitude of a hundred meters, they aligned perfectly with a departing Armed Helicopter.
The reflective Iron Armor and the red-and-blue figure on a skateboard were prominently exposed to countless gazes.
Glancing down at the waving crowd, Tony called out to Peter without any intention of descending to show off; he simply turned his back to leave everyone with a view of him departing.
Faced with the two superheroes appearing here, the armed forces showed no signs of obstruction, allowing them to fly toward the villa on the mountain.
It wasn't that they didn't want to stop them; rather, they lacked the ability to do so...
“Mr. Tony and Mr. Peter, my assistant is currently sleeping!” The figure of 007 appeared at the entrance of the villa like a tangible presence. It was difficult to discern that this adorable girl was actually a super artificial intelligence—
"007... we're not here to find your friend Aser!" Tony took a deep breath, the surreal changes before him making his heart tremble. He squinted and exhaled, "I want to study these plants..."
"Stark! This tomato tastes so good it's not even like a tomato!" Just as Tony was feeling anxious, Big Boy was beside him, devouring a tomato the size of a human head, completely oblivious to whether the owner allowed it.
"Peter... you... you just ate that?" Tony turned his head, panic evident on his face beneath the armor. "These ingredients haven't been tested; there's no way to determine if they're harmful to humans! Don't you have any common sense?"
Anyone would hesitate to consume these ingredients without testing them, right?
However, Peter's actions made Tony extremely suspicious, questioning whether these mutated plants had some unknown factor, much like poppies that could induce addiction.
But what was here was countless times more potent than poppies.
It turned out Tony was overthinking—
"Stark... look over there!" Peter pointed at a nearby Apple Tree, where a delicate figure was sitting atop a giant apple, munching on the flesh cut from it.
After taking a bite of his tomato, Big Boy pointed at the roof of the house. "There's more up there!"
"Hey! It's Iron Man and Spider-Man! Long time no see!" Monster Teacher waved from below as he emerged from the vines. "I didn't expect Chen Fan's tomatoes to be this delicious; I lost track of time while eating! Burp! I'm so full!"
Tony stood there in shock as 007's voice echoed in his ears: "You are all friends of Aser. You can stay here, but please do not disturb Aser's rest!"
This decision was entirely 007's own response.
"Not a problem!" Tony assured.
His original purpose was to study these plants and understand the reasons for their changes; as for other matters, he had no interest in getting involved.
Others also assured him of their commitment.
Watching everyone nod, 007's figure slowly disappeared in front of the villa's entrance.
Having agreed to stay with these people, 007 had his own considerations. Through his understanding via the internet, he realized that the villa's changes were already known worldwide.
Many forces and organizations began to converge on the villa. Although the power of Thunder Book was strong, there would always be times when it was stretched thin. Therefore, it needed some trustworthy individuals to bolster the villa's defenses.
Those who had connections with Chen Fan and were not rejected by him were indeed suitable candidates.
"How does the apple taste over there, young lady?" Monster Teacher asked Kanda Nanami at the top of the hill. As soon as the first word slipped out, it had already reached under the Apple Tree.
"Crunch, crunch!" Kanda Nanami did not respond; her eyes narrowed slightly as she continuously stuffed her mouth with peeled fruit flesh.
"It seems it's quite delicious!" Monster Teacher answered itself, drooling as its belly wrapped in a black robe rumbled. It broke down the recently consumed tomato into energy and then charged toward a two-meter-wide apple, crunching into it voraciously.
"Stark... aren't you going to eat?" Peter asked while munching on a giant tomato, glancing over at Tony. He opened his mouth, swallowed a piece of fruit flesh, and said with delight, "These tomatoes can enhance your physique!"
Having eaten less than half of a tomato, Peter already felt a slight increase in his strength—about ten kilograms more, which was why he couldn't stop eating.
With each bite, an indescribable deliciousness danced on his tongue, his body felt warm, and his strength kept increasing. How could he possibly stop?
"What? Enhance physique?" Tony blinked in surprise as his armor retracted to reveal an astonished expression. "Peter... can this stuff really enhance your physique?"
Pointing at the tomatoes scattered across the ground, Tony felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. What was already fantastical had now transformed into something dreamlike.
“Sir! According to the readings from the Iron Armor's detector, the ingredients and fruits here possess an unknowable mysterious energy!”
J.A.R.V.I.S. transmitted the detected results directly to Tony's retina, continuing, “This is a substance that has never appeared in my processor before!”
“Based on calculations, there is a 99% probability that the changes here are caused by interference from this mysterious substance!”
Tony's mind was in turmoil as he shook his head and asked, “Can you determine if this substance is harmful to humans?”
“Sorry! This substance has appeared for the first time, and there are no records in the data, so I cannot make a judgment!” J.A.R.V.I.S. hesitated for a moment. During that brief pause, the main processor somewhere had already run billions of calculations but still failed to produce accurate data.
Watching the Vibrant Goods nearby chattering away, Tony felt a pang of conflict. The opened facial armor allowed him to clearly smell the air around him.
It was clear, sweet, and carried a delightful fragrance that wafted from the tomato Peter had bitten into—
“J.A.R.V.I.S., record my bodily data. If anything unusual occurs, alert me immediately!” After giving his command, Tony cupped a tomato in both hands, hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth and took a bite.
Delicious!
What kind of flavor was this?
Tony couldn't articulate it; words failed him. As he swallowed the flesh of the fruit, a warm sensation spread from his stomach throughout his body…
“Sir! The heavy metal virus in your body is slowly disappearing!” J.A.R.V.I.S., who had been monitoring Tony's bodily reactions, spoke with a hint of surprise in its tone.
With a deadly factor that neither he nor his AI could alleviate, a solution unexpectedly emerged beneath a mutated tomato.
"What!" Tony exclaimed, jolting awake from his daze. "J.A.R.V.I.S., are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"
"Just now, the heavy metal reaction in your body is alleviating?"
"Yes, sir! After consuming the tomato, one-thousandth of the virus in your body has disappeared!" J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
"Great! Great! Great! Keep monitoring!" Tony said joyfully, finally letting go of his concerns and starting to devour the tomatoes with enthusiasm.
He had been suffering for a long time due to the heavy metal virus in his body, and this unexpected change was undoubtedly a relief for Tony. After all, no one wanted to die young!
Ten minutes later—
Tony had already exited the Iron Armor, clutching his stomach and rolling his eyes in exhaustion. He could barely handle one tomato, while Peter had already eaten three and was still going strong—
It turned out he was still just a normal person; these guys were monsters—there was no comparison!
"Congratulations, sir! The heavy metal reaction in your body has now decreased to 90%. Based on the current progress, you only need to consume one hundred more to eliminate this hidden danger!" J.A.R.V.I.S. said with excitement in its tone.
The boss had no heirs; what would happen to it if he died?
But now there was no need to worry!
What a joyous occasion!
"One hundred...!" Tony lay on a giant tender leaf, staring up with an expression of utter despair.
"Stark, what's wrong with you?" Peter, having just finished his fourth tomato, turned his gaze toward the summit where the Apple Tree stood, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He called out to Tony, "Come on! Let's go taste the apples! They're two meters in diameter! It’s going to be amazing!"
"Burp—!" Tony ignored Peter's call. He was so full that he couldn't even eat another grape.
Two-meter-diameter apples? That would be enough to make him burst!
As for why he would burst?
The food here was toxic; as long as one let go of their inhibitions and didn't eat the whole thing, they wouldn't wake up at all!
Tony was very glad he had chosen a tomato instead of an apple—
The entire villa had long been interfered with by J.A.R.V.I.S. and 007 working together; no electronic devices could monitor this place. So, both Tony and Peter felt completely at ease, not fearing any attacks here.
Peter had already flown down on his hoverboard to the base of the Apple Tree. Looking up, he couldn't help but drool; just the aroma wafting from under the tree was enough to drive him wild.
Just as he prepared to leap up, a violent tremor shook the entire mountain.
The Monster Teacher and Kanda Nanami, who had been perched in a daze on the tree, snapped out of their trance.
Looking around, they saw thick smoke rising from the mountaintop, and a fierce wind swept through, filling the once-clear air with the scent of gunpowder.
Meanwhile, Tony, who was barely hanging on after overeating, stared blankly at the swarm of fighter jets circling above. Did these guys not know whose territory this was?
Dare to attack here?
Damn! They’re coming again!
Watching the missiles fall, Tony quickly ran toward the villa. At this moment, he didn't have time to put on the Iron Armor; he could only rush into the villa, after all, that was where Chen Fan was.
As he expected, upon stepping into the villa's vicinity, a Light Shield rose up, intercepting all the missiles hundreds of meters in the air.
“J.A.R.V.I.S.... get ready to suit up!” Tony shook his shoulders, brushing off the dust. He had almost been blown away just now!
Suddenly, a blinding light shot up from the villa, causing Tony, who was preparing to regain his composure, to stop equipping his armor.
The rising light was none other than the Thunder Book—
As the Thunder Book ascended to a height of a hundred meters, solid lightning blades appeared out of thin air around the book and then launched toward the circling Fighter Jets.
Explosions mixed with flames and black smoke erupted; in the blink of an eye, over a dozen murderous Technological Weapons were reduced to ashes, not even leaving behind remnants.
“J.A.R.V.I.S., where did these Fighter Jets come from?” Tony asked in front of the villa's entrance.
He was eager to know whose orders had led to this attack.
No matter who it was, Tony anticipated a terrifying disaster was about to unfold. The entity sleeping in the villa had never been one to hold back; facing missiles thrown at their doorstep, one could imagine how furious they would be.
“Sir, they came from a military district. The attack order was issued by high-ranking officials in America’s military!” J.A.R.V.I.S. replied mechanically, as if searching for information. After a few breaths, it continued: “According to the data retrieved, there are shadows of the Vampire Clan behind the military. Several high-ranking officials who issued the attack orders have connections with the Vampire Clan!”
"Ha ha! It seems we didn't go looking for trouble with the vampires; they attacked us first. This is going to be fun!" Tony sneered. Originally, it was just him, Peter, and the Tentacle Monster who were planning to confront the vampires.
Now things had escalated, forcing Chen Fan into a corner. It looked like their group could only tag along and watch.
As he pondered this, Tony sighed. What a waste of all that equipment he had prepared—
"Sir... the military has deployed anti-matter missiles. They will arrive here in three minutes..." J.A.R.V.I.S. suddenly reminded him.
"What? Anti-matter missiles? That's quite extreme!" Tony's expression darkened. No matter how hard he thought, he never expected the vampires would dare to go this far.
Taking advantage of Chen Fan's slumber, they were preparing to eliminate this threat—
But who leaked the news about Chen Fan's sleep?
Even he and Peter only found out when they arrived at the villa!
...
The sudden bombardment left countless people at the foot of the mountain in shock; this was an unexpected turn of events.
Someone was attacking here?
Just as everyone was astonished and confused, a suffocating aura rose from the mountaintop. Even from thirty miles away, it was still hard to breathe.
Thunderous!
Dark clouds loomed overhead, shrouding everything in darkness.
These massive clouds stretched endlessly, seemingly enveloping the entire land, with the only light coming from the surging Electric Serpent.
It clawed and tore at the layers of clouds.
The few who first regained their senses grabbed their phones, searching for updates on the outside world.
"The... the whole of New York is covered by Thundercloud..." a reporter murmured, collapsing to the ground, staring blankly at the scene that filled the horizon.
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