Chapter 892: The Shining Stars and Rotten (Part 37) (Patreon)

In DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Although the military had imposed a lockdown on the news of Iron Man and Captain America's deaths, a sense of impending storm still swept over the entire New York City. Even ordinary citizens who were oblivious to the truth, gazed upon the gloomy New York sky, sensing an underlying signal.

Within the base of the New Warriors Team, Nightshade was busy organizing weapons, while Bacteria Man stood beside him, wearing a worried expression. He said, "Are you really planning to go out? Don't forget, those who have been attacking us have been relentlessly searching for our whereabouts."

Bacteria Man sighed and continued, "Last time, I went out for a simple errand, and a journalist from the Daily Bugle started tailing me. My photo was plastered everywhere, my true identity was exposed, and my family, friends, and teachers began receiving phone calls, and I couldn't answer them..."

Bacteria Man closed his eyes, his voice trembling with anguish. "For the past few days, I've been having nightmares. I believe you have too. If you go out now, things won't get better. We might face more attacks."

Nightshade, however, remained focused on sharpening his arrows. He said, "But we have to take action. Remember, the New Warriors Team was not created to participate in TV shows. We're not showbiz actors!"

"Now, with Spider-Man dead, Captain America missing, and Iron Man out of New York, the disappearance of these three superheroes has shaken the confidence of too many people. They believe they can't handle super criminals like Nitro and Coldheart."

"We can't rely on the police either. New York's police are just ordinary people, and even though they have decent firepower, how can they deal with super criminals like Nitro and Coldheart? It's not their job, they don't have the capability, and therefore, they don't have the responsibility."

Nightshade looked at Bacteria Man and said, "But we do have that responsibility, so we must act."

"If there's one thing I've learned from all the events before, it's that no matter what rumors may say, we can't hesitate because of them."

"If back then, instead of cowering in our base, we had continued doing good deeds to clear our name or honing our skills, maybe Captain America wouldn't have died."

Bacteria Man clenched his fists, trembling. He said, "He appeared in my dream repeatedly. I vividly remember his last words before dying, urging us to go fast. I really..."

Bacteria Man started trembling all over, and Nightshade glanced at the others still playing cards in the base. He said, "This Team that I've poured countless efforts into building, maybe it's time for us to disband."

"During this time, I've come to realize that this is not a game; it's a life-and-death battle."

"What we saw, Spider-Man effortlessly taking on criminals, behind his antics and witty remarks, lies an unimaginable determination."

"Therefore, we must do this," Nightshade tightened his grip on the arrow shaft, saying, "Take on their duties, fulfill their uncompleted responsibilities, and fight against the evil forces hidden in the shadows, forces that ordinary people cannot deal with, until we've shed every drop of blood."

Bacteria Man's throat moved as he said, "Regardless of what happens, I will stay. I hope I can live up to the name of a New Warrior and honor Captain America's sacrifice to protect us."

Nightshade looked at the computer screen nearby and said, "Recently, disappearances in New York have been increasing. I suspect it's not a coincidence. I've traced the tracks of some strange creatures, and I suspect they are vampires."

"Vampires?" Bacteria Man furrowed his brow. He said, "Didn't they get wiped out during the Brooklyn Bridge battle?... Wait a minute, I remember some vampires escaped, but they haven't shown up for so long, why are they suddenly..."

"Do you think Spider-Man and Captain America's deaths were accidental?" Nightshade looked at Bacteria Man, who hesitated to speak certain words.

However, Nightshade continued, "A series of crises, the deaths of key figures, the resurgence of evil organizations that were already in decline; can all of these events be mere coincidences?"

"Or is it possible that some forces, lurking in the shadows, have finally made their move?" Nightshade took a deep breath, picked up the compound bow on the table, and said, "Prepare yourself, another major battle may be on the horizon."

As he finished speaking, a chilling wind swept through every corner of the New York streets on that night. In a small alley, a piercing scream cut through the sky like a sword, and as it reached the clouds, the moonlight became exceptionally bright.

People noticed that the overhead starry sky began to flicker. Perhaps it wasn't the stars themselves, but some flying creatures blocking the starlight.

With their pitch-black wings and sharp fangs, everyone who saw them couldn't help but cry out:

"Vampires! It's vampires!"

"That group of bats is back! Quick, call the police!"

"New York! Countless vampires have appeared on the outskirts again! They want to attack this city once more!"

"There's a name circulating among them. I heard it, I heard it... It's Dracula! The progenitor of vampires!"

Inside the New York police station, George grabbed his handgun and said, "Everyone, prepare yourselves. Those damn bats are back!"

As he stepped onto the street, he looked up at the sky, where countless bats flew overhead, casting shadows across his face.

George's expression became incredibly solemn, and he muttered, "They're back... and this time, we have no saviors."

"Matt, grab your gear. Let's go," Eric the Blade entered the Avengers' base and said to Matt, "We need to pay a visit to Dracula. I want to see what he's capable of to dare invade New York. Perhaps he's been alive for too long, and his mind has gone rusty."

Matt had just put down his mobile phone and said, "I mentioned before that I encountered some promising young individuals in Hell's Kitchen. Among them, there are mutants with relatively modest abilities and ordinary people who gained powers through various accidents."

"Previously, I had been mentoring them for a while. Now it's time for them to gain real combat experience. Tony always tried to prevent me from sending these young people into battle. However, we all know that even the most powerful superheroes can't be around forever. We need to learn to protect ourselves."

Blade turned and walked out, his words echoing in the room, "It's a bit late to start now, but Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man have kept New York safe."

"People here have been too comfortable, forgetting just how dangerous this world can be. Now, it's time for us to pay the price for that."

Once again, the moonlight shifted. Inside a pitch-black prison, within dimly lit cells, a figure huddled in a corner. Through a small window above, he could see groups of bats flying by.

He lowered his head and looked at his own arms, now clean and unblemished. However, he saw fragments of blood and innards on them, remnants of a true hero's soul that he had crushed.

Fastball, dressed in prison attire, trembled uncontrollably. He felt his sanity gradually breaking, unable to distinguish between illusion and reality.

The nearby iron-framed bed began to shake incessantly, and the iron bars on the window twisted. The prison guards displayed terrified expressions on their faces.

This young man, who could manipulate kinetic energy fields, had almost achieved mastery over his abilities just by carefully contemplating what he could do.

More and more lights illuminated the area, and panic started to spread.

In the office where the general and politicians were gathered, everyone looked like rotting wood, realizing the true meaning of "misfortunes never come singly."

The General's fingertips trembled as he stood up and said, "Quickly mobilize personnel and equipment to protect New York. New York must not be destroyed..."

"But, we must deal with Schiller first! We only have three days left. If we spend that time defending against vampires, then we... then we..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood.

Vampires invading New York meant ordinary people would die. If the vampires reached this meeting room, it would mean they had devastated all of New York. However, Schiller was not interested in ordinary people; he was here for them.

Three days was a limited time frame, and both manpower and resources were limited. If they were used to fight vampires and protect ordinary citizens, they wouldn't have the time to find a way to resurrect the Superheroes and deal with Schiller. In that case, they would be the ones to die.

On the other hand, if they spent time looking for a way to resurrect the Superheroes and defeated Schiller first, they might be able to use the resurrected Superheroes to fight the vampires. However, it would likely result in heavy casualties among the unarmed ordinary people.

Just then, a messenger entered the room, saluted, and said, "Mr. President is on the line."

Afterward, he activated the mobile phone's speaker, and the voice of the President came through, saying, "At any cost, repel the vampires and protect New York."

"I don't care what you're thinking, or who you intend to confront. The choice in your minds right now will only bring you closer to Schiller Rodriguez's blade."

With that, the call was disconnected. The General slammed the table hard, exclaiming, "What does he know? He's just a damn politician! All he cares about is votes, votes, and votes! Why doesn't he think that if we can't handle Schiller, we'll die even faster!"

One of the politicians coughed and said, "Mr. President has always been like this. He needs to be responsible to the public, but in terms of making decisions, we are more professional. We need to be responsible for the entire country..."

"We mustn't let that madman brainwash us or kill us, otherwise, the entire country will come to a standstill! My suggestion is not to divert manpower to deal with vampires. Let's continue with our plan!"

"I agree!" another general raised his hand. "The plan is already halfway there. We've discovered that the Obelisk is continuously transmitting some signals, possibly pointing to the Kree. If we can resurrect the Superheroes, we can rely on them..."

"We allocate significant funds and weapons to the police every year for this very moment! They became police officers for this, didn't they?"

"I..." Ross was about to speak in agreement but suddenly felt that everything seemed unreal.

His lifelong goal had always been to save the world. If Hulk threatened the world, he had to stop Hulk. If Schiller threatened the world, he had to stop Schiller.

Whether it was joining Tartufaction or using the faction's power to eliminate mutants or deal with monsters, he believed that everything he did was for the future of humanity.

But in that moment, he realized that the words "abandoning ordinary people" were simple yet profound and incredibly difficult to say. Ross took a deep breath and chose to remain silent, but the atmosphere in the office had already become charged with emotions.

"We are responsible for the entire country; reasonable sacrifices are necessary! We are working for the future of humanity!"

"The President doesn't understand. He only cares about public opinion and votes. If we divert our forces to protect ordinary people now, it will bring us closer to Schiller's blade!"

"We have always used our foresight and wisdom to pave the way for this country. We've made countless right decisions, and this time is no different..."

"Issue the order. Let all agents continue with the plan, and the military should hold off for now to avoid having insufficient strength when facing Schiller directly..."

"Stop him! For the future of humanity!"

"For the future of humanity..."

Meanwhile, General Davis, who had left the room, turned his head to look at the moonlight outside the corridor.

At this moment, the dark clouds had dissipated, and the moonlight was exceptionally bright. The galaxy's starry sky shone brilliantly.

His aged voice echoed in the corridor, like a train that had reached its final destination, with the carriages and wheels rusted, but the vibrations from the previous era still lingering.

"Only now have I realized that perhaps those who once cherished you are the ones truly holding the future of humanity in their hearts."

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

XXX-----XXX-----XXX-----XXX

Next Chapter>>Chapter 893 - Shining Stars, Rotten (38)