193. About Moonstone.

After exchanging some brief intel, Alex and Old Barton refocused on the upcoming plan.

"Moonstone isn't someone easy to deal with. The stone that grants her superpowers comes from the Blue Area of the Moon, and she's also been enhanced. I can't gauge just how powerful she is now," Barton warned.

"You don't need to worry about that. Her powers are interesting, but not nearly troublesome enough. Otherwise, she wouldn't be hiding in the wilderness. So, leave Moonstone to me."

Seeing Alex so confident, Old Barton couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He knew that Alex and his group were formidable, but Alex's attitude suggested he knew more than Barton had imagined. With this in mind, Old Barton couldn't resist probing. "From what you're saying, you seem quite familiar with Moonstone. Did you face her in your world?"

Alex immediately realized that Barton was trying to extract information from him. Observing the ever-vigilant old man, Alex suddenly thought Barton was starting to resemble an aged Batman. Pausing for a moment, Alex half-truthfully replied, "I do know her well, but I haven't actually fought her. But don't worry, that doesn't affect my judgment of her or my confidence in dealing with her."

To be honest, Alex had a deep-seated dislike for Moonstone. Unlike Songbird, Melissa, who was also a reformed anti-hero, Moonstone didn't stick to one path. Instead, she repeatedly switched sides between good and evil. This could be attributed to her childhood experiences and personality.

Moonstone's real name is Karla Sofen. She wasn't the first "Moonstone." Unlike others who inherited their titles, she actively seized the Moonstone's power for herself.

Sofen was originally a psychologist, living a relatively stable life. But her lifelong obsession with power and controlling others led her down a dark path.

When she was commissioned to treat the previous Moonstone holder's psychological issues, Sofen saw her chance to rise to prominence. Using psychological manipulation and special drugs, she successfully made the former Moonstone bearer reject the stone. Thus, Sofen acquired the Moonstone, which could grant superhuman abilities, and took on the Moonstone name, joining the villainous group assembled by the Masters of Evil.

When the Masters of Evil plans were uncovered by the heroes and Captain America thwarted them, Sofen, along with several other criminals, was imprisoned. However, perhaps because everyone was too focused on her superpowers, they overlooked her exceptional skills in psychological manipulation and hypnosis, which allowed her to find an opportunity to escape.

In the ensuing years, Sofen began a cycle of committing crimes, getting caught, and escaping. She worked under many well-known villains, including Red Skull, MODOK, and Black Spectre. Sofen changed her uniform with almost every new team she joined, but her deep-seated craving for power and control never wavered.

This continued until Baron Zemo found her and invited her to join the Thunderbolts, a team of villains masquerading as heroes, to carry out his plan to undermine the superheroes from within. This was essentially all that the Moonstone of this world had experienced.

Of course, in Alex's memory, in other universes, Moonstone participated in the major event "Siege" and joined the Dark Avengers during Osborn's rule, replacing the original Captain Marvel of the Avengers.

As for Moonstone's ultimate fate, it was quite tragic, likely due to her actions throughout her life. After all, someone like her, who craved power yet refused to commit to any side, was bound to end up displeasing both the forces of good and evil. Her fate wasn't undeserved.

"Do you see the scorch marks on the Sentinel's surface? I can sense the unique radiation of Moonstone's energy from it, proving it had fought with her. I imagine Moonstone wasn't entirely unharmed after dealing with such a large Sentinel," Alex pointed to the robot's head.

Barton looked where Alex indicated and saw the damaged eye of the Sentinel, the same weak point that had allowed him to take it down with one fatal shot.

"It does look that way. So this means we're on the right track. Moonstone is likely nearby. Sentinels don't stop until their target is neutralized, so if it was here, that means we're close to Moonstone's hideout."

"Exactly. Karla, that black-haired girl, has excellent hearing and vision. Finding them won't be difficult," Alex said with a smile.

Barton nodded in agreement, then looked back at Alex, curious. "Do you know who sent this Sentinel? It doesn't make sense for Moonstone to be targeted by one, given that she's also a criminal."

"I heard Moonstone betrayed Baron Zemo earlier. With Zemo's resources, controlling a few Sentinels wouldn't be much of a challenge," Alex casually replied.

After Magneto gained some power, many Sentinels designed to hunt mutants were destroyed, and the technology to produce them was supposedly erased by Magneto. But there's no such thing as a secret that doesn't leak. The effectiveness of the Sentinels wasn't lost on other villains, who were unwilling to let such valuable weapons be completely destroyed. So, Baron Zemo secretly preserved some of them.

"Baron Zemo!?"

Old Barton was visibly excited upon hearing this. He caressed the Sentinel's remains with a look of anticipation. "So, there might be records in this Sentinel's black box that could lead us to Baron Zemo?"

"There's a good chance."

Alex confirmed, knowing that, according to the original story, Hawkeye did indeed use this method to find Baron Zemo's hiding place.

"That's great, just great…"

Barton kept muttering to himself, staring at the Sentinel like it was a treasure.

Seeing Barton's reaction, Alex couldn't help but suggest, "How about you stay here while I take care of Moonstone and then come back for you?"

"No, I'm coming with you!"

Alex's words snapped Barton out of his joy. He quickly turned around, looking at Alex with determination.

"I've got a score to settle with Moonstone. Even if you plan to kill her, I need to see it happen with my own eyes!"

...…..

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194. Don't Bother.

195. The Death of Moonstone.

196. Red Skull.

197. Heroes from Another Universe.

198. Visitors from Another World.