MD-Chapter 312 Team Up!

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The flames in the grand manor flickered higher, and a technique previously unleashed by Mandarin was swiftly torn apart by Arthur, scattering sparks into the air.

Considering that Mandarin had already burned a group of armed men alive earlier, a fire breaking out now seemed almost inevitable.

Arthur looked down from above, using 'The Eye of Horus' to scan through the sea of flames, searching for any sign of Mandarin's escape.

Given that Mandarin couldn't likely fly far, it was unlikely he'd vanish entirely after Arthur chased him out. Additionally, none of the five rings he wore could enable him to flee underground, so it was clear he'd used some other method to escape.

Arthur was unfamiliar with the area, but Mandarin had likely called it home for quite some time.

From this, Arthur reasoned that Mandarin could have created hidden escape routes here.

Though given the man's arrogant nature, he likely wouldn't bother to do so— but who could say for sure?

Arthur was confident in his abilities, even if he wasn't as invincible as Natasha had claimed. Still, he believed that no matter the situation, he could find a way to escape.

Nonetheless, Arthur always kept more than one route of retreat in the base. After all, the future was unpredictable.

Thinking from Mandarin's perspective, if he had indeed left escape routes, it wasn't entirely impossible.

Moreover, if Mandarin had left via the sky, the 'OsCorp Industry's satellites should have picked up on it, meaning Arthur wouldn't have had to search for himself. However, any underground escape would require personal investigation.

'Hard work never goes unrewarded.'

It was through this diligence that Arthur found an underground passage.

He stored away his annoyance, soaring through the air, while 'The Eye of Horus' swept through the tunnel beneath him.

Just then, a voice came through the communicator, still open from their previous conversation: "I've found his location. I'll send it to you now!"

"Good," Arthur replied.

His spirits lifted as his wristband flickered with light from the 'Blink' function, transmitting data remotely.

With a tap, a virtual display appeared, quickly loading a map. After confirming the location, the map zoomed in, and Natasha's voice came through again: "The red dot marks Mandarin's position."

Arthur analyzed the map, noting his own location, and plotted his course.

It lined up pretty well with the direction of the passage, with only a slight deviation—the passage curved, while Arthur could fly straight.

"I severed one of his arms, so he shouldn't be able to move quickly for a while. But I can't be sure he won't anticipate me catching up…" Arthur mused aloud.

"I'll scout ahead," He added. "If he's really there, I'll call everyone over."

"Got it. Everyone's ready," Natasha responded. "Tony, Steve, Dr. Banner, and your little friend…"

Arthur could faintly hear a disgruntled voice from Natasha's end: "I'm already an adult! I'm in college!"

It was Parker!

Arthur chuckled. "Alright, once I wrap things up here, I'll let you all know. Let's cut the comms for now, just in case."

"Understood. Be careful," Natasha replied.

... 

With the communication cut, Arthur accelerated.

In the blink of an eye, he found himself in a dense forest, where a small villa stood.

The sky had darkened, and using the cover of night, Arthur unleashed 'The Eye of Horus', sending it into the villa.

But what he found inside made his brow furrow.

The locks on the doors had been violently destroyed, indicating that Mandarin hadn't prearranged this villa as a hideout; the escape route didn't directly connect to the house.

"That makes sense," Arthur thought.

Had Mandarin appeared directly inside the villa, even the satellites wouldn't have been able to detect him. But now that he looked further, Arthur's expression shifted.

Lying on the floor were three charred bodies— clearly adults, though their faces were too burned to be identified.

Given that this house wasn't built by Mandarin, it was likely these were the villa's original inhabitants.

Mandarin had clearly placed the escape route here as a quick getaway option, with no concern for the lives of the ordinary people who lived here. They were far too weak to stop him.

A ruthless method, but it made sense.

Moving through the house, Arthur reached the living room.

And there, sitting on the sofa, was Mandarin, tending to his wounds.

His expression was grim, his forehead beaded with sweat. Even someone as formidable as him was clearly struggling after losing an arm. 

He grimaced as he cauterized the wound to seal the blood vessels, hastily applying painkillers to ease the agony.

His treatment was rushed— clearly a last-ditch effort given the circumstances.

By the time Arthur found him, Mandarin had finished the basic treatment. He slumped back on the sofa, mentally and physically exhausted, unable to move.

"This big dragon's looking a bit weak," Arthur thought, wondering if finding him in this state was almost unfair.

With that, he drew a teleportation circle on the ground.

Opening the communicator, he said, "Send them to the leftmost teleportation room."

"Got it!" Natasha replied, and within moments, a figure appeared in the teleportation circle before Arthur.

"I'm here to help you out, old man. Heard you took on a soft target and turned him into a diamond?" Tony, wearing a slightly worn-out suit of armor, smirked as he appeared.

But when he saw the charred mark on Arthur's chest, his face twisted in annoyance. "Do you have any idea how much work I put into this suit? Could you take better care of it?"

"…I thought you were concerned about me," Arthur replied, his expression darkening.

Steve, dressed in his familiar tight suit and carrying a shield, arrived next. "What is this place?"

Dr. Banner followed, eyeing Arthur and then Tony. "What are you two talking about? Hulk's been a bit agitated lately… I think a good outlet might be beneficial for his mental growth."

Finally, the last to arrive was the young spider, dressed in his tight red suit.

"I mean, aside from Cap, is it really okay that no one else is wearing masks?" he asked, clearly puzzled.

(End of this chapter)