amaotonovel Chapter 4682 The Demise of the X Royal Family (3)
Chapter 4682 The Demise of the X Royal Family (3)
Chapter 4682 The X Royal Family: Demise (Part 3)
Before setting off, Schiller and the others from the Fourth Power of Morality held a meeting. Due to the tight schedule, they didn't have time to soak in the hot springs under the World Tree, and instead met up directly at the Arkham Sanatorium.
"What the hell?!" Nick exclaimed. "Those guys from the main universe actually sent a message saying they've already gone there, and other universes better not follow. Who do they think they are?"
“This kind of behavior isn’t new,” Strange said, looking up from the medical record and sighing. “Sometimes I really envy the world next door. At least Batman doesn’t act like the lord of the multiverse.”
"It turns out that the harmonious multiverse we envisioned simply doesn't exist," Loki said. "With more people comes more trouble. You can argue over anything. What's more, none of our superheroes have an absolute leader like Batman. The consequence of not being able to keep things in check is chaos."
“Don’t mention that,” Schiller said. “They haven’t been doing well over there lately either. Not only did they have a cosmic car crash, but the Source Wall was also blown up. The Batmen are still figuring out how to patch the hole.”
They all sighed in unison. Every family has its own troubles. On Marvel's side, there's disunity; everyone wants to vie for leadership of the multiverse, and internal strife is already brewing. On DC's side, while the system is clearly defined, there are also many troublemakers. Darkseid hasn't even left the multiverse, and now the Black Death Emperor has arrived. Even Bruce Wayne, who caused such a huge mess, couldn't end the competition; the Goddess of Creation remains a strong contender for the title of the greatest scourge of the multiverse.
“Alright, let’s talk about the situation over there,” Nick said. “If we go all out, we’ll inevitably end up fighting the main universe. Even if we have to fight each other, we can’t use their universe as the battlefield, or we’ll get a lot of flak. We need to consider the multiverse.”
“However, if only Schiller and Tony go, they might not be able to fight against so many. The people in the main universe have already seen the universes they need to help as their own prey, and we will definitely be targeted by them if we go there. So my plan is that, in addition to helping the affected universes, we also need to find a way to deal with the main universe.”
“What are you planning to do?” Loki asked.
“We’ll split up,” Nick said. “Schiller and Tony will go to help. The three of us will try to cause some trouble in the main universe. Once our home base catches fire, those guys in the main universe will be too busy to handle it.”
“That’s one way,” Loki said, his eyes darting around. “But we have to be careful not to get caught. The main universe is very special, and harming it could be seen as an invasion of the multiverse. We can’t let our universe become a target of everyone’s hatred.”
“Where should we begin?” Strange stroked his chin. “Are there any weaknesses on their end?”
“Their biggest weakness is the Avengers, but unfortunately, the Avengers have assembled and launched an attack.” Schiller sighed. “We can only go over there and take a look.”
Nick nodded and said, "Indeed, even if there were flaws before, the situation may have changed now. We can only take it one step at a time."
"But are you really planning to go with just the two of you?" Nick asked again. "You go into politics, and he goes into technology. But if there's only one person in each area, you definitely won't be able to win the argument with the others. Especially Tony, what if the main universe's Iron Man says, 'Nobody knows Redgate Orchid better than me'?"
“You know what, it’s actually quite possible,” Loki laughed. “Although I haven’t had much contact with him, he does have a certain…”
Schiller knew that Iron Man at this stage was indeed somewhat arrogant. The Iron Man in the comics was inherently tougher and more of a businessman than the one in the movies, less sensitive and more cunning.
The opening of the multiverse provided him with an even greater stage. He skillfully navigated between different universes, and despite his less-than-stellar performance in the main universe during the multiverse war, he still managed to win over hearts and minds and gain a group of supporters, demonstrating that he was not someone to be trifled with.
The others are similar. All the Avengers in the comics are tougher, smarter, and more controlling. Or rather, the leaders portrayed in American comics, such as Batman and Captain America, share similar traits. They are essentially the "ideal leader" figures of Western culture: tough, eloquent, shrewd, and adhering to universal values and interventionism.
“It’s alright,” Schiller said. “I already have some ideas about that universe. You don’t need to worry about that. You just need to deal with the main universe.”
They had another discussion. Besides figuring out how to provide assistance and cause trouble for the main universe, they also needed to make arrangements for their own universe. Because, if things went wrong, the main universe might have the same idea.
Previously, there was a tendency in various opinions to push the central universe to challenge the main universe. The main universe was also eager to fight, but the central universe maintained a cold and indifferent attitude, demonstrating great strategic composure, which prevented a conflict from breaking out. However, many universes believed that a war between the two universes was inevitable.
Of course, this battle isn't about one side invading the other, but rather the inevitable clashes that occur during the struggle for leadership. Many universes have even begun considering which side to join.
All I can say is that Marvel's underlying logic is "battle at the airport," and everyone's minds are all focused on the final showdown at the Forbidden City.
The statement issued by the main universe prohibiting interference from other universes was clearly aimed at the central universe. So, it's possible they might also try to cause trouble in the central universe's rear, preventing them from providing assistance. Now it's a matter of who can defend better and attack faster.
Schiller weighed the situation and concluded that they still held a significant advantage. He remarked that all the major events he had orchestrated hadn't been for nothing; the central universe was a battle-hardened place. Aside from Schiller, nothing could cause them to panic.
However, Schiller still considered carefully what the main universe might do. Invading Earth was unlikely; firstly, the villains there had been mostly eliminated, and secondly, the Avengers still had moral principles and wouldn't be aiming to destroy Earth. Just as the central universe wouldn't destroy Earth in the main universe.
They mostly just cause trouble, then shift the blame to local superheroes, leaving them to deal with public opinion and find ways to prove themselves, naturally leaving them no time to care about the multiverse.
Whom should he start with? As Schiller was pondering this question, he suddenly received a call from the Presbyterian Hospital's administrative office.
"Hello? It's me. Okay, I'll be right there..."
Schiller didn't have time to take a public shuttle, so he had to hire an exorbitantly expensive single shuttle to get to the Presbyterian Hospital, because he had a bad feeling. Sure enough, when he arrived, Strange was already there.
“We received a report from a patient,” the physician in charge of administration said, adjusting his glasses. “Someone reported that Dr. Stephen Strange, the chief neurosurgeon, has been leaking a large number of Presbyterian Hospital medical records to private nursing homes for a long time, and receiving kickbacks by privately recommending nursing homes…”
"Hiss..." Schiller gasped. "You damn main universe, instead of tampering with the cosmic engineering projects, instead of instigating alien races to attack humanity, you're here purifying the medical system?"
“Absolutely not,” Schiller vehemently denied.
"But in our investigation, we found that you have a good personal relationship with Dr. Strange, and indeed, some of our patients have gone to your sanatorium for treatment..."
“This is not evidence,” Schiller said. “We are good friends because we are old classmates and both worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. As for patients coming to my nursing home for treatment, that is just a coincidence and does not mean that someone made a private introduction.”
"And what about leaking medical records?"
“That’s not true,” Schiller denied again. “Strange did complain to me that he couldn’t finish writing the medical records and asked me if there was a faster way to do it. I did suggest that he find someone to write them for him, but he probably found one of his interns or something, it has nothing to do with me.”
As Schiller spoke, he tried to message Jarvis, asking him to access his computer and delete the unfinished medical records. But Jarvis happened to be outside this universe.
“I’m warning you,” Schiller could only threaten, “you are not allowed to enter the sanatorium to investigate without a search warrant. If I find out you’ve conducted an investigation illegally, you can expect to face legal trouble.”
"Don't worry, doctor. In fact, our hospital is also inclined to believe that you are innocent. I invited you here today to confirm this with you in person. If you have evidence to prove that this is not the case, then perhaps you should prepare in advance."
Schiller, of course, understood his implication. The whistleblower couldn't have only reported to the hospital; the media likely received the report even earlier. The press releases were probably already written by now.
Very well. The main universe really did manage to pick a tricky angle and seize upon Strange's only weakness. Schiller was already gritting his teeth inwardly. If he had just written the medical records properly, would this mess have happened? He had to be the one to write them, and now look what happened!
But the question is, how did the main universe know he was ghostwriting medical records? Thinking about this, Schiller suddenly felt a little guilty, because he had taken handwritten medical records into the Battle Realm several times to write them. And Iron Man in the main universe has free access to the design department. Could it be that he saw him?!
Schiller sighed and asked the doctor, "Where is Stephen now?"
"He's in surgery. You know, he's always in surgery."
Schiller had no choice but to wait for him outside the operating room. Strange came out shortly after. Schiller followed him and said, "Our affair has been exposed!"
Strange, who hadn't even taken off his surgical gown, paused in his tracks: "Which one are you referring to? The one where you poked me on the forehead with a pen, or the one where we lost three games in a row?"
"What does it matter?" Schiller said somewhat helplessly, "The fact that I wrote your medical records for you has been discovered!"
"That's not a problem. None of the surgeons on this entire floor write their own medical records. What are you afraid of?"
“But he reported that you leaked medical records and took kickbacks by referring patients to me,” Schiller emphasized. “This kind of ethical issue can get you blacklisted from the industry, and you can no longer be a doctor.”
“Then I’ll fly in wearing the Sorcerer Supreme’s uniform to perform the surgery.” Strange rolled his eyes.
Then Strange stopped and turned to Schiller, saying, "Although you all joke about the title 'Hand of God' every day, you obviously don't realize what kind of status someone with that title actually has in the industry. Blacklist me? Ha."
“This could be a conspiracy by the main universe,” Schiller said. “They want to prevent us from helping other universes by causing trouble for us.”
“Oh, I see,” Strange said, spreading his hands and tilting his head back. “This is obviously a stupid idea that ‘God without hands’ from the main universe came up with.”
"Aren't you afraid at all?"
“How many years have we known each other?” Strange asked. “I mean, ever since you held a pen to my forehead…”
"Can you please stop bringing this up?" Schiller said, sounding utterly exasperated. "It's been over ten years, so what?"
“Yes, I’ve been the Hand of God for over a decade.” Strange looked at him. “Do you think I haven’t done anything in the last ten years?”
What did you do?
Strange turned around and gestured from right to left: "They're all my students."
"All operating rooms?"
"The whole of New York."
He turned back to Schiller, giving him a haughty smile: "Now, answer me, who do you expect to judge me?"