Marvel's Shendu: Dominating the Multiverse

Chapter 18 I Draw Your Blood

As Quill listened to Tony's words, he felt a sudden sinking feeling in his heart.

Tony's voice remained calm: "There are two human signals, one coming from this agent and the other from you, and there's an even more interesting signal, with only a tiny bit of residual energy left."

"However," Tony suddenly changed the subject, "the waveform of that residual energy matches perfectly with the energy fluctuations in that cloud of smoke to the east just now."

Quill paused for a moment; he never expected this tech-savvy rich guy to have such methods.

Tony took a step forward and lowered his voice, saying, "You're not alone; it was a group. Where's the guy who created the chaos and covered for you?"

Quill reverted to his usual nonchalant manner: "Mr. Stark, what are you talking about?"

Tony's gaze lingered on his face for a moment: "Fine, if you don't want to say, then I'll ask you a different question."

He pointed at Quill's clenched hand: "Can I see that thing you're hiding in your hand?"

Quill instinctively pulled his hand back.

Tony raised an eyebrow, his expression turning serious. "Listen, kid, I have no idea what happened to you last night, and I have no idea what the guy who dragged you into this got you for."

"But you're standing on my turf now, next to my colleague, holding something that can turn him into a chicken."

Tony paused briefly and said, "I don't want to take your thing, but I need to figure out if that thing will turn me into some kind of weird poultry while I'm asleep."

Quill remained silent. The smoke in the distance was thicker than before, and the faint sounds of explosions could still be heard.

Tony glanced back, his brow furrowing. "Coulson's about to give out. I'll count to three. Either you show me what you're holding, or I'll take you over to him and let him interrogate you at his leisure."

"one."

Quill gripped the talisman tightly in his hand.

"two."

Quill's mind raced, a whole host of ideas popping into his head. Would it work if he transformed into Tony and fooled them? Or perhaps he could turn into a bird and fly away? Or maybe he should just take action?

"three."

Tony lifted his hand.

Just then, a flapping sound came from outside the chicken coop, and the two of them looked out together.

A pigeon stopped at the entrance of the chicken coop, tilting its head. A rope was tied to one of its feet, and the other end of the rope was connected to a hand covered in scales—the hand of the Holy Lord.

Tony's eyes darted back and forth between the Holy Spirit and the pigeon on its leash.

He said slowly, "Let me guess, could this pigeon also be an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Mr. Stark is indeed very perceptive."

The Holy Lord's voice was calm: "This is indeed a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. He was patrolling in the east before, and now he may need some help to return to his original state."

Tony raised an eyebrow, didn't reply, and turned to Quill: "So, you two have teamed up to open a charity that turns people into animals and then back into them? Pretty efficient service."

Quilgan chuckled twice.

"Alright, don't be nervous."

Tony took a step back and leaned against the doorframe of the chicken coop. "I'm not Coulson, I'm not going to handcuff you and interrogate you, but..."

Tony paused for a moment: "You need to give me an explanation."

"What kind of explanation would Mr. Stark like to hear?" The Lord's tone was very calm.

Tony's words were direct: "You know the truth in your heart. Don't try to fool me with that Chitauri radiation nonsense. I've scanned that area."

Tony stared into Shendu's eyes: "You know better than I do, that wasn't radiation at all."

After a moment of silence, the Holy Lord said, "Mr. Stark is right, that was indeed not radiation."

Tony raised an eyebrow: "Finally ready to tell the truth?"

The Holy Lord's tone remained calm: "I can tell you the truth, but before that, I'd like to ask you something."

"That wild boar that night, how do you think it accurately located that piece of debris containing the Chitauri energy core?"

Tony's smile froze on his face.

The Holy Lord continued, "The distribution of the debris in that area was random. The radiation from the energy core was shielded by a shielding layer, making it impossible for ordinary animals to detect. But that wild boar went straight for its target, devoured the core, and then coincidentally detonated the gas station."

He looked at Tony, his tone persuasive: "Don't you think this is too much of a coincidence?"

Tony paused for two seconds: "What are you trying to say?"

The Holy Lord lowered his voice slightly: "It's very simple, someone is deliberately creating chaos."

Tony's eyes narrowed slightly: "Go on."

"The wild boar appeared at the exact time that night, right when S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were monitoring Quill's mother's house."

"The location where the agent turned into a rooster was right outside that house."

The Holy Lord said, word by word, "If you look at these two things together, you will find an interesting pattern."

"Every time someone targets us, something unexpected happens, and these unexpected events always manage to divert attention at just the right time."

Tony's eyes narrowed slightly. "You mean, someone's helping you?"

The Holy Lord shook his head: "On the contrary, someone is using us to create the chaos they want."

Tony stared at him, then suddenly smiled.

"Interesting," he said slowly. "Are you trying to tell me there's a mole within S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

The Lord did not answer directly: "I am merely stating the facts; how to interpret them is Mr. Stark's business."

Tony's smile faded, and he fell into deep thought.

"Do you have any evidence?" he asked.

"Not at the moment."

The Lord said frankly, "But if Mr. Stark is willing to cooperate, we can find evidence together."

Tony raised an eyebrow: "Cooperate? Cooperate with what?"

"To cooperate with the acting."

The Holy Lord remained unfazed and continued his deception: "Now, that mole should think we're in trouble, with agents missing, energy fluctuations, and chaos everywhere—that's exactly the effect he wanted."

He looked at Tony: "But if Mr. Stark is willing to help us clean up this mess and at the same time declare that everything is normal, the mole will know that his plan has failed."

Tony was silent for a few seconds, then slowly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile: "So, you want me to clean up your messes? And, incidentally, play along in this charade of catching the mole?"

"Yes." The Holy Lord nodded.

The Lord's words seemed to tickle Tony's funny bone, and he laughed unrestrainedly.

After laughing, he clapped his hands: "Okay, that's an interesting suggestion, but what's in it for me?"

The Holy Lord had anticipated his question: "What benefits does Mr. Stark want?"

Tony took two steps forward, circled around the Holy Lord, his gaze sweeping over the scales, horns, and tail on his body, before he slowly spoke.

"Actually, I felt something was off about you the first time I met you."

The Holy Lord's expression remained unchanged.

Tony continued, "You say you're Valhalla, once a human, now a dragon. That explanation sounds plausible, but there's a problem: you know too much about Chitauri technology."

The tip of Shendu's tail twitched slightly. He had learned about the Chitauri's technology when he used the Rat Charm to infiltrate Leviathan, but he hadn't expected Tony to be suspicious of it.

Tony noticed Shendu's reaction, and his smile deepened: "Also, while you were unconscious, I drew some of your blood."