Shadow of the Beautiful World

Great Mandarin, our base in Afghanistan has been devastated. Your student Ibn has been confirmed dead.

In a mysterious place, a middle-aged man in a long robe was reporting the latest situation to the leader of the Ten Rings Gang, the mysterious and dangerous Mandarin. He said humbly:

Agents from the European branch of S.H.I.E.L.D. also raided our stronghold in Poland yesterday. But as we planned, they found nothing except some confusing information.

Their reaction was disappointing. Like stupid and angry hounds, never able to catch the sharp fox. As for Eben, alas, he is a very capable young man, but alas, his luck seems to be not very good .”

Sitting on that quaint chair, Mandarin closed his eyes slightly, evaluating his student's death in a nonchalant tone.

While stroking his gray beard, he said softly:

Tell me about that agent, that amazing young man who almost single-handedly destroyed our situation in Afghanistan. What's his name?

Merlin Riley

The middle-aged man standing in front of Mandarin quickly replied:

He is a level 5 agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., in command of a mysterious department. It should be an accident that he appeared in Afghanistan.

A surprise factor?

Mandarin shook his head. This old man who seemed to be full of secrets couldn't help touching his ten fingers, the only left middle finger that lacked a ring. He said:

I hate the element of surprise. Where is he now? Most importantly, where is my thunder ring?

Sorry, great Mandarin.

That kind of person replied with some trepidation:

S.H.I.E.L.D. is a secret organization with high authority. Their recruitment standards are very strict. We have been trying to infiltrate it, but with little success. We only know that Merlin Riley was sent back from Afghanistan four days ago. He landed in New York. But after his plane landed, he just disappeared.”

oh.

Mandarin nodded, he opened his eyes, those black, calm eyes looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, he said:

So, as my intelligence collector, you successfully located the location of my lost ring to any corner of the entire world, right?

We'll find him!

Facing Mandarin's questioning, the middle-aged man bent even lower, and his forehead was covered with cold sweat.

He knew that there were many people in this world who feared the Mandarin, but those who feared this hero the most were never his enemies, but his followers.

The more you know, the more you fear.

I have sent more people to North America, the great Mandarin, we will find it soon

Soon, how long?

Mandarin crossed his fingers, he asked softly.

His ten rings were powerful spiritual weapons, but they were a whole, and the lack of one ring made him feel very uncomfortable, like losing a part of his body.

But in Merlin's desperate counterattack, and in his suppression with the 9-layer sealed box, even the owner of the thunder ring, even the mysterious and powerful Mandarin, lost his sense of his own ring.

This is a disgrace to Mandarin.

It's like a giant reached out to crush an ant, but was bitten by the ant.

That is an unspeakable shame.

But in the face of Mandarin's questioning, the middle-aged man stood there tremblingly, he didn't dare to make a promise, and he didn't dare to report a time casually.

The Mandarin cannot be deceived. If the time expires and they have not got the ring back, what awaits them will be a terrible result.

This silence lasted for tens of seconds, and when the middle-aged man's heart was about to stop suddenly, Mandarin suddenly waved his hand.

never mind.

The leader of the Ten Rings said:

Merlin was able to take away my ring when he was dying, which means that he is not an opponent you can deal with. I have no intention of sending you to die. You don't need to worry about this matter. After my 'reincarnation' is completed, I will Will pay a visit to that Mr. Merlin himself.

Oh, what a terrible time, what an incompetent subordinate, I have to do everything myself.

Mandarin's words full of regret made the nervous middle-aged man breathe a sigh of relief at this moment.

He took a peek at Mandalin's expression. He had followed Mandalin since he was a teenager, and no one knew Mandalin's temperament better than him.

He knew that the loss of Mandarin's ring must not be as simple as it appeared on the surface. His master is also a face-saving person, he will not make things public that will damage his image.

This also means that Mandarin will not punish him for this matter, which makes the middle-aged man feel lucky that he escaped, and since he knew that Mandarin did not want to talk about it, he He quickly changed the topic to another direction.

Great Mandarin, our public opinion campaign in North America is coming to an end. According to the news sent back by our secret fighters, the top US leaders are very dissatisfied with the situation in Afghanistan, and they are losing their minds little by little under pressure. , it only takes a drop of spark to ignite everything. As you expected, the arrogant giant will walk into the quagmire of war.

Isn't this inevitable?

Mandarin was not overjoyed by the news, saying:

War was inevitable from the moment the US-supported power in Afghanistan collapsed. We just accelerated the process, and what is there to be happy about when something that was bound to happen finally happened?

The start of the war just means we're going to the next level.

Mandarin said to his intelligence officer:

Our fighters who are deep inside the cia will soon be exposed under the strangulation of other forces, let them seize the last time, open the gateway to the North American continent for us, and prepare for us next time before they are captured It is their sacred mission to prepare to pierce into the heart of North America, a mission that must be fulfilled.

Are you going to abandon them?

The middle-aged man said with some regret:

We have spent nearly 30 years planning all of this, and now, almost overnight, we have to throw it all away. There is also the reconstruction of forces in Afghanistan, and our infiltration operations in other parts of Europe, almost all of which have come to a halt. I'm not questioning your decision, Great Mandarin, I'm thinking, maybe, maybe we can play it safe.

I mean

The middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said in a low voice:

While entering North America, we must also leave a reserve force elsewhere.

I have left enough reserves. The chaotic situation in Afghanistan should end. Since there is a target that attracts attention, there is no need to keep a low profile. Let our soldiers come out of the shadows!

You should understand that everything we've prepared for all these years is for this moment.

Mandarin said in a deep voice:

Americans play war, rely on despicable means, and absorb endless benefits in chaotic times. They try to turn their land into the center of the world. That is a great idea, and that is my idea.

Arrogant Americans don't know that the thorn I planted in their heart 30 years ago is about to pierce their life. They don't need to know the era that begins and ends in the shadows. Under my leadership, we have Central Asia and Eastern Europe, but it’s not enough, it’s not enough!”

Mandarin opened his eyes at this moment, there seemed to be a spark dancing in those eyes that were always calm, and his voice became sonorous:

Just like my ancestor, the great Genghis Khan.

In this era, a dark Western Expedition is about to kick off! I will step into that prosperous land and hold the scenery of the top of civilization in my hands, and you will also get what I promised, a brand new , a great, bright life.

This mediocre, boring era will soon end. The country full of lies and deceit will usher in the fire of karma, and then under our leadership, it will be reborn from the ashes!

Mandarin looked at the starry sky above his head, he looked at the twinkling stars, and he said:

My family and my bloodline have completely sunk in the historical changes. But it doesn't matter, I will personally create a prosperous and prosperous world that belongs to me, and that will be built on the smoke and ruins of North America.

King

Long live!

—

The Mandarin's subordinates couldn't figure out where Merlin was hidden, and it wasn't because of their incompetence.

Because even Merlin himself didn't know where he was placed.

Disorganized voices kept ringing in Merlin's mind, and he could vaguely distinguish that there were people he knew in those voices.

There's Fury's voice, there's Pierce's voice, there's Hill's voice, and there's Coulson and Melinda.

He heard the voices of Dr. Foster and Dr. Hall, and Eric, and little Ava, and even Hermione and Harry.

He wants to respond to them.

But he couldn't respond, as if he was locked in a dark cage.

He can't feel his own body, the temperature and information from the outside world.

he

got stuck.

It's like going through a nightmare that can only be accepted passively and endlessly.

Those voices kept reverberating in his mind, scattered and even disconnected from each other.

His mind is active, but his vital signs are terrible, like a patient with advanced stages of ALS.

Gravitonium was detected in his blood, my God! How did he survive?

Mr. Merlin looks like he is dreaming, but I can feel that there is a force preventing him from waking up.

We can't give him up! He's done so much for us, he's a young man with a big future and we have to find a way to save him!

No, it's not magic! The magic power in his body is working normally, it's something else, maybe some kind of curse. I think you should transfer Merlin to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Injuries, your technology can't solve him question, isn't it?

Sir, wake up, the vampires in New York are about to fall apart.

His muscles are atrophying, he's been sleeping for too long, and if this continues, his organs will fail.

The hemodialysis failed. The weird substance has been integrated with him and cannot be peeled off. Sorry, Director Fury, we tried all methods, but we couldn't forcefully wake up Agent Merlin, whether it was electric shock or acupuncture. Nothing happened. He was like a vegetable.

So, is he trapped?

Merlin, Merlin, can you hear me? I'm my sister, please open your eyes? Don't scare me, please? Please, don't scare me.

At the end of these noisy voices, it was May's voice in a crying voice. Merlin tried very hard to tell his sister that he was still alive and that there was nothing wrong with him, but he couldn't.

Can anyone hear me?

answer me!

Under the sealed body, Merlin's soul was calling out hoarsely, he begged for someone who could hear his voice.

He struggled hard, but there was no response to his efforts.

The soul is also exhausted, and in this strange coma, Merlin would fall into a drowsy sleep every once in a while. And the most frustrating thing is not the inability to move the body, but the uncertainty of the flow of time.

Merlin didn't know how long he had been unconscious.

There is a fear in his heart, if when he opens his eyes, everything he is familiar with has disappeared

so what should I do now?

We have tried all methods, whether it is magic or technology, Director, we are at our wit's end.

Hill's voice sounded in Merlin's feeling that he was becoming tired again. After a few seconds, Merlin, who was on the verge of falling asleep, heard Fury's slightly tired answer.

No, not all the ways, and the last one.

There seemed to be doubts in Fury's voice, but in the end, he made up his mind, and he said to Hill:

Help me contact Professor Charles.

In this world, no one is more familiar with Merlin's situation than him.