Chapter 21 : Dr. Strange vs Dormamu 1# Starter of Disaster

13:00

At the Surgical Consultant's Room, Metro-General Hospital, New York

Stephen Strange, Surgical Consultant

Former No. 1 Surgeon of Metro-General, New York

Former TOP 10 Surgeon of America

The room owner's identity is on the sign in front of the room and behind my desk.

For those who know my history well, these 3 lines can be interpreted in two ways.

One is to praise the virtues and abilities that I once had, where I used to operate to save people's lives.

Another aspect is to mock that even a skilled surgeon can miss the mark and can no longer operate, so he has to downgrade himself to a surgical consultant.

But it can also be interpreted in a third way... Besides me, no one else can operate to suture nerves, connect muscles, heal a mangled hand to the level of holding a scalpel firmly, the level of performing delicate surgery on a millimeter scale.

I have been sitting reading case information, writing comments, and giving opinions for a while now, and I am used to the various looks and feelings that people give me when I wear a black suit instead of the blue surgical gown of the hospital.

Whether it's former operating room colleagues, nurses, male nurses, staff from various departments, or patients, relatives of patients.

I don't know what they think of me.

Do they think I'm very patient to come to work at the old place in a new position that pays less than before?

Tolerate the condescending looks of former colleagues whom I used to look down on?

Karma is reaction of actions that I used to look down on others for operating worse than me in the past, so now I can't hold a scalpel?

Well... It's all up to themself, as the saying goes in the ancient scriptures of India where the prophet said,

"There is no one who is not slandered in the world"

So whatever anyone says about me is their business

but if I hear words or see messages that are slanderous then I'll have American law protect by PDPA(Personal Data Protection Act )

Gossip is fine, but if it's slanderous, like saying that the accident that damaged my hand happened because I was drunk or on drugs or with women then I'll have to find a lawyer to protect the purity of my reputation. . .

My daily life is like this.

After becoming a Master I left Kamar-Taj and returned to New York as usual.

In the evening, I go to the New York Sanctum

177A Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village

to study magic spar with my fellow residents or jump through dimensional portals to stop the threats from dark magic users who are now running rampant.

Most of them are Kaecilius's minions. Right now, Kamar-Taj is organizing a team to hunt him down before he can cause more damage. And the key clue arrives at 7 PM today.

I have to join the big team to destroy Kaecilius and the Dormammu's worshiping group.

It should have been that way according to the schedule.

However. . . while I was reading case number 4 of today a dimensional portal opened up next to my desk.

It opened weakly, faltering, like a Wi-Fi signal with one bar left. The width was almost like a dimensional window because it was so small.

On the other side was the bloodied face of the current Master protecting the New York Sanctum. He spoke in a hoarse voice.

"We. . . have a mole, a traitor. . . Kaecilius is aware. . . in time. . . New York, London have fallen. . . regroup. . . Hong Kong. . ."

Snap!

Before he could finish speaking the sound of sharp blades slicing flesh rang out as his head rolled through the dimensional window and onto my desk, soaking my documents, files, computers, and everything in between.

"Strange… See you in Hong Kong. Hehe"

Kaeselius chuckled before the dimensional window quickly closed because he could feel that if he continued to open the dimensional window, I would counter with hundreds of magical scalpels floating behind me that would pierce his body to avenge Master Daniel who had just been beheaded.

"Tch…" I clicked my tongue in dissatisfaction. Death was something I was used to, but seeing someone I knew die from betrayal right before my eyes was something I couldn't accept easily.

Anger erupted in my heart, but I had to suppress it first because there was a knock on the door before it was opened immediately, leaving me without a chance to do anything.

"Stephen's case today… Uh… Halloween decorations? Is that too fast? And... it... it... is so realistic. Especially the smell"

Christine walked in to greet her, before stopping when she saw Master Daniel's head rolling on the table, eyes wide open with blood splattered everywhere. Even my face was covered in blood.

She blinked several times, probably hoping that everything she encountered in front of her was just a misperception for whatever reason. But the image, the color, the smell were still there.

"And... those scalpels... the decorations?"

"They're real. Sigh."

I sighed and shook my head slowly. I waved my hand lightly. The magic scalpels dissipated along with the red liquid that floated up as water drops.

From the table, seeped into the paper, or splattered all over the floor, walls, ceiling and my body. They gathered into dark brown water drops in mid-air.

"I really don't want you to know about this, but seeing it like this... it's so cruel to erase my memory, I'm afraid it might affect my brain..."

"Stephen... you... " Christine's expression was Filled with confusion, doubt, shock, surprise, astonishment. The short definition is STRANGE.

"You . . . are . . ."

"Remember when I went on vacation to the Himalayas?"

I shot the question at her. While waving my other hand, creating an ice crystal box to seal Master Daniel's head and blood clot. To be used to reassemble into the original body for him.

During the funeral ceremony according to his religion. The beliefs of his and his family. So that he will have a complete body.

But must wait after I clear up the matter that Kaecelius is about to cause first.

"Will . . . remember . . you . . This is . . . a special power?

"Magic is the mysterious science of Kamar-Taj" I replied, before briefly explaining that I had studied magic, my hand was healed, but I didn't want to perform surgery again, so I took on this role to help people in a way that I could during the day, without making others wonder why my hand, which was supposed to be incurable, suddenly healed.

And at night, I would practice magic, hunt dark magic users, and protect the world in the way of a Sorcerer, which has been done for thousands of years.

"You... Stephen... and... what happened? His head... is that a real head?"

I nodded, before summarizing that Kaecilius wanted to summon the Lord of the Dark Dimension, who had been trying to devour the world since ancient times, to devour the world now, by destroying three magical points that protected the world.

"And now, the New York Sanctum has just collapsed, following the London Sanctum. Only the one in Hong Kong remains."

"Are... are you saying that our world is about to be destroyed?"

"No, not if I'm still here."

"Who do you think you are... the Avengers or something? You shouldn't... risk your life."

"I understand that you're worried about me, but if I don't go, who will? And we can't escape if the Lord of the Dark Dimension breaks through the dimension here. Even if we go to the edge of the solar system, where the Voyager 2 has just reached, Dormammu will follow and devour you in an instant."

"Ugh... I... what should I do... you..." Christine's voice was filled with tremors, tears streamed down her cheeks, her expression seemed on the verge of a breakdown. Of course, knowing such a serious matter, anyone who didn't think what they heard was just a story from a crazy person would think too much and become crazy themselves.

"Get some rest, and let's have dinner tonight."

"Rest... you want me to rest now?" Christine's eyes widened. "I have a surgery case..."

"You can't perform surgery with trembling hands and trembling emotions, so... I will temporarily seal your memory. The effect will only last for 6 hours. It shouldn't have much impact on your brain."

"Stephen..." Christine blinked, then slowly nodded, and in the next moment, she found herself standing alone in the room, and understood that Stephen Strange had asked to go back to his room first.

The entire hospital would see the illusion of my body walking out of the office, going straight home after clearing the 4th case, which was the deadline according to my basic duties. If there was an urgent case, I could Work From Home, making my position as a surgical consultant work anywhere.

"Alright... Hong Kong, it's now... 2 AM, right? It's Friday night, Saturday the 13th-14th, which is even more terrifying."