C251

[Constantine Fan Value: 18.23 Million]

Although the movie has only just been released, Anton can already see the public's acceptance of Hell's Detective through the fan count displayed on the system panel.

In just two hours, the fan value has increased by nearly 300,000.

At this rate, within a few days, new DC heroes will be available for exchange.

This result leaves Anton quite satisfied.

Meanwhile...

Jim, who is still handling the film's release at the company and discussing follow-up promotions with the distribution team, remains in shock.

Anton has succeeded again!

This success isn't just about the movie's release—it's about his unwavering confidence in its quality.

In just one week, he managed to push Hell's Detective to completion. If someone had told Jim this was possible, he would have laughed in their face and covered his ears before they could finish a second sentence.

When Jim finally saw the completed film, he even suspected that Anton had already made Detective of Hell long before.

As for the film's quality? Jim couldn't find a single flaw. There was no sign of it being rushed.

"Genius!"

In the end, he could only attribute this to Anton's talent.

"It really is genius-level creativity."

With full confidence in the movie, Jim ramped up the promotional efforts.

Even if the film had been produced in record time, who could dare call it shoddy?

Hundreds of millions had been invested—this wasn't some low-budget production.

And with Jim's professional expertise, he was certain the film would receive the success it deserved.

However…

Anton didn't share the same optimism.

Because he knew something others didn't—if the Battle of New York was going to happen within a month, the resulting disaster would shake the United States and the world. The aftermath would take time to heal.

No... a week had already passed. Less than a month remained.

Di-di-di!

His phone rang.

"Hello, Harry?" Anton answered, narrowing his eyes.

"Hope this is good news," he muttered. "I really don't want you calling me with bad news right now."

"I hope so too."

On the other end, Harry sighed heavily.

"Anton, just as you predicted—the Pegasus Project failed. The Tesseract has been taken."

Anton's expression darkened.

"By who?"

"Victor Doom."

Harry repeated the name, his tone laced with regret.

"You warned me to keep an eye on him, but I didn't take it seriously. That's on me."

Anton's grip on the phone tightened. His expression shifted—part surprise, part intrigue.

"So… I really guessed it right."

Muttering to himself, he then said aloud, "Tell me everything. From start to finish. I have time."

Ten Minutes Earlier—Secret Base

The remaining Avengers gathered.

Victor Doom had defected, taking the Tesseract with him.

Now, only seven heroes remained: Harry, Iron Man, Captain America, Sandman, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Doctor Octopus.

Meanwhile, under Doom's brutal lightning assault, Coulson and Nick Fury had been seriously injured. Medical teams had already rushed them to the infirmary for emergency treatment.

The entire base, shaken by the battle against Doom, showed signs of structural damage.

Luckily, it wasn't beyond repair.

Upon inspection, the walls and foundation had taken a hit, but they weren't at immediate risk of collapse. 

After all, this base had been built with an absurd amount of funding—it wasn't going to crumble that easily.

"Victor Doom is gone."

Captain America—Steve Rogers—surveyed the surroundings, his voice grave.

"For now, we don't know his true objective. But judging from our exchange, one thing is clear—"

"He has the ambition to rule the world."

"He is a threat."

Tony spoke up. "In addition, just before the incident, the sudden change in the agents' behavior—there's a possibility that Doom still has an accomplice."

"Could it be that Doom was hiding his superpowers?" Dr. Octopus asked.

"No."

Harry shook his head. "Doom doesn't have the ability to control minds. And don't forget why we gathered here in the first place—it was because the agents lost control of the base. The timing doesn't add up."

"But Doom worked at the base for a while. Could he have planted suggestions in the agents' minds during that time?" Black Widow questioned.

"The agents were rotated out," Hawkeye countered. "I investigated them after the incident. None of them had direct contact with Doom, nor were they ever in the same place at the same time. Doom never had a chance to manipulate them."

"Then he must have an accomplice," Sandman—who wasn't known for his strategic thinking—finally concluded.

"In any case, we need to find Doom's location, take back the Tesseract , and put a stop to whatever he's planning."

Captain America's voice was firm. He then turned to Iron Man.

"Tony, can you track Doom?"

"I can try."

Tony nodded, then looked at Dr. Octopus.

"Otto, I'll need your help."

"I'm in," Otto replied.

"I'll mobilize all of Oscorp's resources to track Doom," Harry offered.

"Stark Industries will go all out too," Tony added.

"As for S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha and I will handle it," Hawkeye said, taking responsibility.

That left Captain America and Sandman—two people without any major technological or intelligence-gathering resources.

Sandman shrugged. "Sorry, this isn't really my field."

With the plan set, the brief meeting ended. Harry left the base, thought for a moment, and called Anton.

Later…

"So that's how it went down," Anton murmured thoughtfully after listening to Harry's explanation.

He had pieced together the whole situation.

Doom's accomplice was undoubtedly the trickster god himself—Loki.

In the original timeline, Loki had hypnotized Erik Selvig and forced him to build a space portal.

But now? He had clearly set his sights on Victor Doom instead.

From Loki's perspective, that was absolutely the smarter choice.

Victor Doom—Doctor Doom—was leagues more useful than Erik Selvig ever could be.

A space portal?

For Doom, that shouldn't even be a challenge.

"Doctor Doom and Loki, the God of Mischief… This just made the Battle of New York at least ten times worse. And the burden? It's all on the Avengers now."

Anton smirked, raising an eyebrow as he entertained the thought.

The Avengers weren't his allies—they were his competition. And there was nothing quite as amusing as watching a rival struggle.

Well, almost nothing.

Because what was even more satisfying?

Watching not just the Avengers, but S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, crash and burn alongside them.

And judging by the way things were going… that was practically a guarantee.

Now that was a thought that made Anton very, very happy.

….

patreon.com/Vks_sh