Marvel - The Blood God

"I have to work again; can you please save me some snacks?"

Compared to the energetic and enthusiastic Hellcat on the left, the superheroine known as Jewel—dressed in black with a dog mask—looked quite disheveled. As if she hadn't fully woken up, she jumped off the glider with a thud and landed in front of the two enhanced criminals.

"Get out of my way."

The two thugs swung their fists at Jewel simultaneously. She sidestepped the attack from the one on the left, grabbed his arm with both hands, and hurled him forcefully. The man flew through a glass window and crashed into a shop.

"Sis, you're going to get charged again."

Hellcat, Trish Walker, shook her head helplessly and used her glider to engage the remaining enhanced man.

"Do you blame me?"

Jessica Jones, aka Jewel, retorted unhappily. She grabbed the shoulder of the thug on the right and slammed her head into his, knocking him out cold.

Jessica said with satisfaction, "This way, we won't have to pay for damages."

The last criminal was taken care of by Electro, who had just arrived. He greeted the two women and sighed, "It feels like there are more and more enhanced individuals. I've encountered three committing crimes this month, and today is only the eighth."

Jessica lazily replied, "Maybe the manufacturer is having a clearance sale."

Electro was speechless. If it weren't for Maverick spoiling his apprentices, someone like Jessica would never have become a superhero.

Just then, Trish flew over with a booster in hand and said, "For these poor people, it's better to buy a potion than to die. The side effects only make them more evil and cruel—it's not a good thing."

Electro said, "We need to find the gang selling these enhancement drugs as soon as possible; otherwise, New York will become even more chaotic."

"Electro is great."

"The Hell Sisters are also amazing."

As the superheroes wrapped up the battle, the citizens cheered, and some even approached for autographs. Electro and Trish smiled and accommodated the fans' requests, but Jessica completely ignored them. Fortunately, everyone was used to it and didn't complain.

Spider-Man also had many fans, but fewer than Electro and the Hell Sisters, and no one asked for his autograph, which made him a bit downcast.

"I can't be on TV shows, so of course I don't have as many fans as they do," Spider-Man sighed. He leaped to the top of a building to leave, but the police, who arrived late, chased after him as if they intended to arrest him.

Swinging between skyscrapers with his webs, Spider-Man shouted, "Hey, I'm here to help. Can't you guys stop chasing me every time?"

A policeman yelled through a loudspeaker, "You're suspected of damaging public property and injuring people. We must arrest you and bring you to justice."

"I'm fighting criminals. The property damage was just an accident."

Spider-Man shouted back, "Jewel broke more things than I did."

"She has the Watchmen Company to compensate, but you never pay, and taxpayers always foot the bill to fix it."

The policeman continued, "Also, they're authorized vigilantes with certain law enforcement powers, but you aren't."

Feeling frustrated, Spider-Man replied, "I did a good thing."

"But sometimes bad things happen. Last week, we finally sent an undercover agent into a gang in Hell's Kitchen. Just as he found a clue, you blew his cover. What's worse, you kicked him into the sea."

The policeman shouted, "Did you know that excellent young man resigned the same day?"

Spider-Man felt a bit aggrieved. "I didn't know; I just want to do good deeds."

"Spider-Man, if you want to do good deeds, join the Watchmen Company. Then you can legally be a superhero like Electro and the others. We wouldn't have to chase you anymore—it's exhausting."

"How much advertising money did you get from the Watchmen Company?" Spider-Man complained. "I'm not interested in being a star; I just want to be everyone's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Officer, goodbye."

With that, Spider-Man swung away, turning onto another street and disappearing from sight. The police car stopped helplessly—a traffic jam blocked their path.

"That guy is really troublesome," the policeman sighed, rubbing his chin. "Being a superhero star seems great. You get help with everything and make money. If I had the ability, I'd definitely sign up."

After Spider-Man left, Electro and the others also departed. Flying through the air, Electro said worriedly, "The human enhancement serum was originally a product of Oscorp. With enhanced individuals causing such a commotion, Oscorp's stock price will definitely be affected."

"What are you worried about? That guy has plenty of money." Jessica snorted. "And he's got a dark side. I just drank a few bottles of his wine, and he forced me to become a superhero to pay off my debts."

"You've got some nerve saying that." Trish said angrily. "Master invited you as a guest, and you snuck into his wine cellar to steal his red wine. He's generous; otherwise, I would've sold you to pay off the debt."

Trish was extremely satisfied with her current life. She's a popular and well-known host by day and a superhero by night. Could life get any better? She's very grateful to the master who brought her all this.

Jessica retorted, "What's the difference between that and being sold now? He even gave me the title 'Jewel.' It's super lame, and I don't know who came up with it."

"Is it wrong to be a superhero?" Max snorted. "Also, show some respect to Maverick. Without him, you'd just be a drunk."

Jessica was too lazy to argue with Max, knowing he's a die-hard follower of their master. She said, "Your Maverick doesn't care about Oscorp's stock price at all. He's probably dating some celebrity right now."

Is Maverick dating? Of course not. Although he was in a teahouse with a beautiful woman across from him, he was actually working.

The lovely Elizabeth Ross smiled and complimented, "Mr. Cassain, your creativity is truly brilliant."

Maverick smiled back. "Actually, it's not my idea; it's the U.S. Department of the Army's."

Elizabeth Ross was stunned. "The War Department?"

"Yes, the earliest superhero star was actually Captain America." Maverick explained. "Setting that aside, Pepsi just renewed their portrait use contract with the War Department for another ten years. The War Department has made hundreds of millions of dollars."

Elizabeth marveled, "Captain America generates that much revenue?"

"He's a gold mine for the War Department. He brought in a lot of money both during his lifetime and after his death." Maverick smiled, pondering whether to help Captain America reclaim his rights once he's back.

After some small talk, Elizabeth Ross eagerly asked, "Mr. Cassain, have you read the information I gave you?"

"I have. A genius scientist turned into an uncontrollable Hulk due to an experimental accident," Maverick replied. "Dr. Ross, I'm sorry, but Mr. Bruce Banner can't join our Watchmen Company."

"You can call me Betty," she offered. "Why not? Banner's abilities are immense."

"But he can't control them. It's one thing to smash some buildings—I can afford the repairs—but what if someone gets hurt or killed? The Watchmen Company can't take that risk."

Maverick shook his head. It wasn't Betty whom he had approached; she had come to him upon hearing about the Watchmen Company.

"You're helping the Hulk like this; does your boyfriend know?" Maverick thought privately but kept it to himself. He took a sip of tea and said, "Miss Betty, you actually want to use Oscorp's resources to control the Hulk?"

Betty admitted, somewhat embarrassed, "I mean, to help him gain control."

"You and Mr. Banner dislike the Hulk, just as Banner himself does. But have you considered that without the Hulk, Banner would've died in that horrific accident?"

"But it's a monster. When it first emerged, it destroyed an entire military base." Betty shuddered at the memory of the creature that could easily tear apart a tank.

"Miss Betty, Mr. Banner is a super-genius. He wouldn't want to rely on the Hulk's power to become a superhero, whether he can control it or not," Maverick explained.

Betty realized this was a firm rejection. She sighed, "I understand. Thank you for your time, Mr. Cassain."

"It's no problem," Maverick replied.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside, followed by a loud voice shouting, "You dare to attack American soldiers?"

Betty's face paled. She apologized, "Mr. Cassain, that's my father's voice. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"General Ross? Don't worry; it's a minor issue," Maverick said calmly. He called out, "Madam Gao, please let General Ross in."

"Yes, boss," Madam Gao responded.

Madam Gao, who had been blocking General Ross, stepped aside. General Ross shot her an ugly look. This seemingly frail old woman had defeated two of his elite soldiers in just three seconds.

"Is she a vampire?" General Ross muttered. He told his soldiers to get up and then strode into the teahouse.

Surveying the scene, General Ross unceremoniously said to Maverick, "Vampire, stay away from my daughter."

"Vampire?" Betty was shocked. Was this an insult or literal?

"General Ross, you do realize," Maverick said calmly, "that most of the funding for your super-soldier research comes from the money our Council of Blood pays for blood supplies."

"So what? That's your vampires' life-saving money." General Ross retorted loudly.

"Life-saving money? The blood clan doesn't need to pay life-saving money," Maverick said disdainfully. "With just one word from me, you won't see another penny."

General Ross's expression darkened. He snorted and turned to Betty. "Come with me. Vampires are dangerous."

"We're a law-abiding organization recognized by both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the New York Police Department," Maverick interjected. "Miss Betty, you're welcome to stay as long as you like. No one can force my guests to leave."

"You..." General Ross was furious but held back. He knew he was outmatched in both strength and influence.

"These damn vampires should've been eradicated long ago." he cursed internally, frustrated that few in the military shared his sentiment.

"Mr. Cassain, I'd better go," Betty said, not wanting to escalate the conflict. She stood up to leave.

Maverick rose and shook her hand. "Miss Betty, even though we couldn't collaborate, if you ever need help, feel free to reach out."

"Thank you." Betty nodded gratefully and left, completely ignoring her father's stern gaze.

General Ross glared at Maverick. "Vampire, stay away from my daughter. And that monster is a military fugitive. Don't even think about helping him."

Maverick sneered, "Are you telling me what to do?"

General Ross shot him a fierce look before storming out of the Dragon Subduing Teahouse.

"One day, I'll eliminate all those damn vampires." Back at the New York base, General Ross fumed over the earlier encounter. Just then, a soldier entered and reported, "General, someone drank a guarana soda and collapsed from gamma poisoning."

General Ross's eyes lit up. "Where was the drink produced?"

"Porto Verde, Brazil," the soldier replied.

"Dispatch a team to the beverage factory immediately. Look for a white man." General Ross ordered excitedly. If he could find Bruce Banner, he could create a super-soldier. His status in the military would skyrocket, and even that arrogant vampire lord would have to bow to him.

In Harlem, northern Manhattan, stands Greyburn College. Maverick strolled along the street outside, observing the bustling shops. He shook his head, thinking, "If I don't intervene, this place will soon be in ruins."

"Abomination is bound to appear, but if we can minimize casualties, we should. I'll find a way to get the police to evacuate the nearby streets," Maverick mused.

Finding a secluded spot, he transformed into Ant-Man and discreetly entered Greyburn College's Department of Cellular Biology.

Dr. Samuel Stern, head of the department, was engrossed in studying the blood sample sent by "Mr. Green." The more he examined it, the more excited he became. If he could unlock the secrets of this gamma-irradiated blood, humanity could become immune to diseases, and he might even win a Nobel Prize.

"This blood sample is too small. I need to find a way to replicate it... Maybe I can use concentration methods," Dr. Stern thought. "I should also contact Mr. Green and urge him to come here. Only then can I obtain complete data."

After a while, Dr. Stern left to gather experimental materials. Maverick reverted to his normal size. Looking at the red blood in the test tube, he felt an urge to consume it but quickly suppressed the feeling.

From the beginning, Maverick never intended to ingest the Hulk's blood. The reason was simple: power without control is meaningless, no matter how immense.

"It's worth conducting an experiment; maybe it can serve as a trump card," Maverick considered. He raised his finger lightly, and a drop of the Hulk's blood floated out of the test tube. Then, he flicked a drop of his own blood toward it.

The Hulk's blood, originally red, quickly turned green under the influence of Maverick's blood. The two droplets began a fierce battle of absorption and counter-absorption in midair.

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