Chapter 186: Adding New Scars

"Boss, why don't you sit down and play with us? Honestly, it's really... hard to handle," Ultron glanced at Galacta and then looked at Han Yu with a hint of plea in his eyes.

Because of Han Yu's presence, they never dared to raise their voices at Galacta. No matter what she did, the two of them would always reply with, "Sure, sure," or "Yes, yes," constantly accommodating her.

They hadn't uttered anything harsh; instead, when other players criticized Galacta in the game for being a poor player, Ultron and Quicksilver would unhesitatingly retaliate on her behalf.

Though the two often teased Han Yu in private, they were always respectful when meeting him in person. Their banter with Han Yu was a sign of their friendship, while respect for others was a basic courtesy.

Originally, Quicksilver and Ultron had been playing GTA together. When Galacta came in to watch for a bit, Ultron, knowing she was someone Han Yu had brought along, kindly asked if she wanted to join.

To their surprise, once she started playing, she couldn't stop, despite being notably terrible at it. Even when given instructions, she would agree but still make repeated mistakes.

Out of respect for Han Yu, they could only endure in silence. Yet, the failed missions came with a cost—losing their collateral commissions. Galacta insisted on playing the hardest levels, and with each failed mission, they lost tens of thousands of in-game currency, Aurin Coins.

After seven missions, they had lost nearly a million Aurin Coins, which accounted for half of their personal savings in the game.

Since the game frequently released new content, they didn't hoard Aurin Coins but spent them regularly. So losing that much had been a significant blow to their resources.

Han Yu's appearance was like the arrival of a savior for the two of them.

Han Yu cheerfully sat down, powered on his computer, and logged into his account.

"Boss, is Hulk's condition serious?" Ultron asked. "Why did he go berserk?"

Han Yu clicked the mouse while explaining, "It's because of a virus. Earlier, during the attack on S.H.I.E.L.D. led by Pierce, Hulk was infected with this virus. The infected become uncontrollably enraged and extremely violent. Right now, Charles and Stark are working in the lab to develop an antidote serum. I believe the two of them will manage to succeed."

"Sounds intense," Ultron remarked, surprised. He had assumed it was just another case of Hulk losing control, but it turned out to be an external factor—this time, it really wasn't Hulk's fault.

"There's not much I can do to help downstairs right now, so I came up to play a few games. Once they've made progress, I'll head back down," Han Yu said.

Ultron nodded in understanding. Quicksilver remained silent, while Galacta showed no interest in the topic. The four of them then proceeded to become "five-star model citizens" in Los Santos.

During the game, Captain America called Han Yu.

Previously, when Han Yu had instructed him to issue orders to S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain America had returned to the agency for better on-site coordination.

Since there was a possibility that Nick Fury had also been infected with the virus, Captain America taking charge of the situation was the most suitable course of action.

"Fury and Natasha are showing signs of the virus taking effect," Captain America reported. "Just now, when our agents delivered their meals, both of them displayed severe violent tendencies and injured several agents. How are things on your end?"

Captain America's voice was a bit hurried, almost drowned out by the noisy background filled with the sounds of people walking and talking.

The previous attack on S.H.I.E.L.D. by Pierce had already shocked everyone. Not everyone was privy to the classified information that Pierce was Hydra's leader. However, with this incident, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had no choice but to face the truth, as keeping them in the dark would only lead to chaos and inefficiency.

Now, with old wounds still unhealed and new ones piling on, S.H.I.E.L.D. was busier than ever.

"We're doing okay over here," Han Yu said. "I've brought in a friend who's working well with Stark. They're making good progress. For now, try to isolate anyone who might be infected with the virus. Keep their rooms free of anything they could use as a weapon. If you're delivering meals, push the food in with something, and minimize direct contact as much as possible."

Han Yu wasn't about to underestimate the Laughing Virus. Once someone was infected, not only would their personality change drastically, but any strange thoughts in their mind would be magnified and acted upon.

After all, no one is entirely free from dark impulses. The Laughing Virus could amplify those negative thoughts infinitely, giving rise to even more terrifying ideas.

If this happened to ordinary people, the consequences might be manageable. But if individuals like Natasha or Nick Fury were affected, the damage they could cause was unimaginable.

"Understood," Captain America replied before hanging up to continue his work.

Han Yu noticed that two hours had passed and decided to head downstairs to check on their progress.

Just as he stood up, a loud crash echoed from below—it came from the supply room!

"Huh? Where did they go so quickly?"

Galacta, startled by the sudden silence around her, turned her head to find that the three men who had been beside her moments ago had vanished within seconds of the crash.

"That speed is unreal," she muttered.

Han Yu, Ultron, and Quicksilver rushed to the supply room, where the previously small entrance had been blasted open into a large hole. Inside, the space was in total disarray. Charles and Stark lay sprawled on opposite sides of the room, and the green energy cage that had been restraining something was now shattered.

Even the front of the general store had a massive hole in it. While the shop was fortified against external attacks, it had no defenses from the inside.

Ultron and Quicksilver instinctively split up, each rushing to one of the fallen men to assess their condition.

"This is bad—they've been exposed to intense gamma radiation!" Ultron exclaimed as he knelt beside Charles.

"Same here!" Quicksilver called out from Stark's side.

Han Yu quickly walked over and examined them. Both Stark and Charles had developed swollen patches of varying sizes, their skin tinged green, and their breathing was labored.

"Pietro, use your ring's energy to shield yourself. Your body might not withstand this level of radiation," Han Yu instructed.

Quicksilver nodded and immediately complied. The energy of the Green Lantern ring formed a thin protective layer over his body. Though delicate in appearance, the barrier effectively blocked all radiation.

"Ultron, help them," Han Yu ordered.

"Understood."

Ultron crouched down, extending his palms over the two injured men. From his hands, a surge of emerald energy flowed forth, enveloping Stark and Charles completely.

The Green Lantern ring's semi-automated medical functions allowed its user to perform treatments that were impossible with Earth's technology, provided the user had medical knowledge.

Under Han Yu's guidance, Ultron had already studied all of Earth's medical sciences. With his ability to connect to the internet, learning was effortless for him.

Now, beyond his combat abilities, Ultron had also become a top-tier medical expert—one whose skills would undoubtedly astonish the medical world if made public.

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