Volume 5: The Young Wolf Seeks Home Chapter 28: The Stark Family's "Secret Treasure"
After driving for several hours, the spider car full of people finally arrived at today's camping site as night fell. It was a wasteland gathering point nearly 100 .
It's as messy and dirty here as Hammerfall.
But the good news is that there are no gangs around here because Team K has entered the sphere of influence of the "Ant Gang".
According to the "Wasteland Know-It-All" Hawkeye, this area is the "most orderly" place in the entire wasteland. The Ant Gang rules here in a cruel and efficient manner and refuses any interference from outside forces.
Although life is still poor and difficult, as long as people here pay tribute every month, they at least don't have to worry about dying.
The Spider car stopped in front of the only "bar" at the gathering point, which had been booked by the wealthy Barbara with several boxes of compressed biscuits and purified water.
Hawkeye, who had just endured the "torture" of the Bone Spirit, got out of the car with difficulty with the help of Old Wolf. Facing Barbara who came to greet her, Harley dragged Ashley Parker, who was covering her mouth but still struggling, and vividly told Batgirl everything they had encountered in the canyon.
When Barbara heard that this filial daughter was trying to kill her father to show her strength, she looked with disgust and contempt.
The Bat Family can't stand hearing this the most.
However, out of humanitarian considerations, Barbara reached out and tore off the tape on Ashley Parker's mouth. This wasteland bully girl didn't care about the looks other people gave her. After she was able to speak, she immediately looked at Mason who was walking towards the bar.
She shouted hoarsely:
"You are the powerful one! You are the leader, and I want to join you! I want to share your power..."
"I'm not interested in crazy people."
Mason waved his hand without turning his head and said:
"Harley, check her out to see if she has any mental problems. Barbara will take care of her tonight. If she dares to act up, I'll beat her up."
"No, you can't trust Clint Barton!"
Ashley Parker shook her head and shouted:
“That man lied to you. When he left me and my mother, he said he wanted to bring hope back to this hopeless world. He went to the uninhabited area of South America to look for the Avengers’ secret treasure!
The fact that he's back now means he's found it, Chief!
This news is enough for you to accept me. That is the most valuable treasure in this wasteland..."
"Bang"
Barbara, unable to bear it any longer, slapped her on the neck, and like Harley, dragged the crooked Spider-Girl to the second floor of the bar.
They had to treat her wounds and give her a bath.
Look at her dirty mud monkey appearance, just like she rolled in a mud pit.
As for the "Avengers' secret treasure" that Ashley just mentioned, it did not stop Mason. The goods that Hawkeye was delivering this time were in his bag.
If Hawkeye really found the so-called treasure, it must be in that box.
But Mason wasn't interested in any of that right now.
He said hello to his teammates who were sitting at the cramped and dim bar and enjoying the weird-tasting "wasteland dinner", then went to the room on the second floor.
He took out the alchemy workbench, and then took out the Magneto helmet found among the canyon gang.
He wants to crack the secret of this helmet as soon as possible.
This thing is really special. It is definitely the most valuable loot Mason can find on this "journey home". Most importantly, this thing has extraordinary commemorative value for all mutants.
The dark red helmet was designed by Magneto to be very elegant yet powerful. From this detail, we can see that Magneto in this world is also an absolute scene-stealer.
After being washed with Stark's mecha cleaning fluid, Mason placed the clean dark red helmet without any odor in front of him.
The information tag pops up:
Helm of the Black Emperor
Quality: Legendary forged item, perfect craftsmanship
Features: Mind protection, permanent magnet, energy enhancement, never worn out
Special effects:
1. Mental Isolation:
Magneto specially made this helmet to fight against his best friend and nemesis Professor X. It uses magnetic fields as a means to re-smelt the steel and achieve a special arrangement at the atomic level to give the item isolation power.
When wearing this helmet, the user is immune to all mind control, thought spying and charm interference effects, and always remains [awake] state.
2. Permanent magnet:
Magneto's special ability makes the helmet he never takes off also have certain characteristics.
While wearing this helmet, the power of the user's energy attacks (including magical effects) will be enhanced because it has a stable to indestructible magnetic field interference, so the user cannot be tracked and located by any electronic device.
When attacked by electromagnetic weapons, this helmet can give the user the [Attack Deflection] effect.
Producer: Eric Lancher
Item Description: Although Magneto never takes off his helmet, he is an elegant gentleman who is almost obsessed with his hygiene habits, so you don't have to worry about any oil or dandruff left on the helmet.
hint!
When the forging skill reaches Lv4, you can try to learn the smelting formula of the special material of the helmet.
"Hat, I think you might want to retire."
Mason played with the light but textured helmet in his hands. He whispered to the Sorting Hat on the other side of the workbench:
"Look at this helmet . It's much better than yours in every sense."
Facing Mason's ridicule, the Sorting Hat projected a blurry human face on its body and responded with a sneer:
"It's really powerful, but I don't believe you can take it with you when you take a shower, and the brain occlumency I gave you is long-term. Besides, can it transform?
Does it have my elegant appearance?
Can it have a thousand-year-old history like me?
Anyone with any sense would know which hat you should choose between me and this..."
"You are just bullying the Black Emperor Helmet because he can't speak."
Mason complained.
Of course he was just joking. Lao Wan's helmet could be used in battle, but it would be very uncomfortable to wear at other times. The soft material of the Sorting Hat would be more comfortable.
"The current forging skill is Lv2+1, one level short."
Mason stroked the helmet in his hand and thought:
"This kind of material that can weaken or even isolate the power of the mind is very rare. We must master it as soon as possible. In the future, the uniforms made for the members of Team K must contain this material to prevent them from being secretly ambushed.
As we all know, those who play with the power of the mind are hard to guard against, and not every mind manipulator is as ethical as Professor X.
It would be difficult to deal with a scum like the Purple Man."
"There's someone approaching the door, Mason."
The hat suddenly reminded him, and the captain nodded, put Magneto's helmet next to him, pulled out a silver pistol from his waist and pointed it at the door.
A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door.
"Hello, Mr. Mason, I'm Sonny, the owner of Stark's Bar, and I've brought you some midnight snacks."
A flattering voice sounded outside the door. Mason blinked and said:
"Come in."
The door was pushed open and the fat boss walked in with a tray. His face full of flattery immediately turned into fear when he saw the black muzzle of the gun in Mason's hand.
He raised his hand with the plate in his hand and shouted:
"No! I have no ill intentions. I even used the best ingredients in the cold storage to cook the meal myself. I just wanted to get closer to you."
"He's lying."
Mason's hat said coldly:
"His mind is very active. It's definitely not just because of fear. He has other purposes. Maybe you should shoot him to calm him down."
"I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"
Seeing that he could no longer conceal the truth, Sonny Stark, the owner of Stark's Bar, frowned and nervously moved his fingers, and said to Mason:
“I am…I would like to ask for your help, unknown big shot.
I just heard your team members complaining about something while eating. If they are not joking, then you should all be from another world, and you have rescued some people in Hammerfall before.
I would like to ask you to have mercy and take me and my family away from this wasteland.
I mean, leave forever!
I've had enough of this damn place. It took away everything from me and turned me from a well-off upper-class kid into a pathetic failed business owner."
Mason remained noncommittal about the request.
He looked the fat boss up and down and noticed that although this guy was in a very poor state, he still tried hard to maintain his little remaining decency.
At least his clothes, although worn out, were clean, and he even tried to maintain the habit of wearing a shirt.
His hygiene habits are clearly better than 99% of the guys in this wasteland.
"What is your relationship with Tony Stark?"
Mason asked.
Sonny was a little nervous, but he still said honestly and stuttered:
“He…he is my uncle. My grandfather is a distant cousin of Howard Stark. Later, he moved here with his family and has been working for Stark Group.
Well, it’s called a job, but in fact it’s just getting a salary for free. Although there is no real power, at least the quality of life is great.
I spent my childhood in a villa in California. It wasn't until I finished my studies at the age of 22 and was about to start living a life of luxury that the damn nuclear war happened.
My uncle Tony died in the chaos, and my aunt died... it was just a terrible tragedy."
"You're still not telling the truth!"
This time there was no need for the hat to remind him. Mason, who picked up the penguin umbrella and activated the golden apple, could feel that Sunny was still hiding something.
But he did not scold again, but said in a gentle tone:
"You are now fighting for a ticket to another world, Sonny, I think you should be more honest, what do you think?"
"I, I didn't hide it on purpose."
Sonny gritted his teeth and said:
"Please come with me. There are some things you must see with your own eyes. Although I am not a good person, I am not begging you just for my own good life."
"oh?"
Mason became interested.
He put on Magneto's helmet, wore Isu armor and a shroud cloak, giving him the feeling of a youthful version of Magneto. Plus, he also has a gravity ring, so he can really indulge in his Cosplay addiction when necessary.
He followed Sonny through a mechanism in the bar and into the underground.
This underground area is quite large, and there are traces of sophisticated machinery everywhere. It looks like a secret base of Iron Man, but it is obviously now completely abandoned and used as a shelter and living area.
At the deepest part of this not-so-large base, Mason saw a biological capsule that was still in operation.
He walked forward and looked at the glass of the bio-capsule, in which he saw a dormant little girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old. She was wearing a rather unique Mark series armor, but it was in tatters and must have suffered serious damage.
"This is little Morgan, Uncle Tony's daughter and my cousin."
Sonny stood beside the bio-capsule with some sadness. He said:
"She was the one who escorted our entire family from the place where the nuclear war broke out to here, but she was also injured by the pursuers sent by the damn Red Skull and had to enter the bio-capsule to 'hibernate'.
There was no way to cure her in this damn world, and I could only watch my cousin getting weaker day by day.
I don't have any special abilities. I'm just a playboy.
But I am also a Stark family member. I must protect her and find a way out for her and my family. Please, Mr. Mason, take us away.
This world has long been hopeless!"
"Why didn't you go during the transfer seventeen years ago?"
Mason said:
"As Stark's family, they will not deny your request for asylum."
"That...that was a message Uncle Tony sent back to us before he died."
Sonny hesitated and whispered:
"Uncle Tony said that this was all a conspiracy and told us not to trust those outsiders. If I hadn't been forced into a corner by the cruelty of life, I wouldn't have chosen to believe you at this time.
You saved people in Hammerfall, and I met Mrs. May Parker.
She lived here for a while.
She assured me that you were good people, and that made me determined.”
"Well, this is really getting more and more interesting."
Mason narrowed his eyes at what Sonny Stark said.
If he remembered correctly, before the swordsman sent them here, she said that this was the place she knew the Council of Hope had saved before it fell.
The Hunter also said that the Star Society was a righteous organization for a period of time, and Old A was proud of this and tried to persuade Mason to change his ways and work with him.
But now it seems that there is an ocean hidden in this early "justice".
"I knew I couldn't let you work for nothing, so I prepared this."
Sonny saw Mason thinking and thought that this mysterious outsider was considering whether to help his family. Although he was a failed bar operator, he was a businessman after all, so he gritted his teeth and took out his last trump card.
It was a box.
After it was opened, a sophisticated device that looked like a processor was revealed. He said to Mason:
"This is what Uncle Tony left in this base. I don't know what it is, but Little Morgan told me not to touch it before hibernation."
“It’s a data sandbox.”
Mason had come into contact with a lot of high-tech, and he took a quick look and identified its use. He said:
"It's a device used to run some special programs that can't connect to the outside world. This thing looks interesting. I'll take it. You can go and pack your things."
He said to the surprised Sonny:
"I will give you two choices. One is a wasteland world where civilization still exists. Although life there is hard, there is enough order and weapons and there won't be too much danger.
The other is a prosperous society that is about to be invaded.
You can have a good time in there, fulfilling your dream of living a life of luxury that you failed to realize when you were 22, but the price is that you may encounter danger. "
"I choose the second one!"
Sonny said impatiently:
"I've had enough of this damn doomsday world. I just want to indulge myself now. I don't care how long I can live ! But my family and little Morgan will be sent to the first world.
They have suffered so much because of my incompetence.
They need a quiet, undisturbed life to heal their wounds.”
“It’s a lot to ask, but it’s done.”
Mason took the processor and waved to Sonny.
"Go find Barbara, she will help you arrange it, but you have to stay in my suitcase factory for a few days. There is a nice house there, you can rest there first.
As for Morgan Stark..."
He glanced at the young girl in the bio-pod, shrugged and said:
"It's not my turn to take care of someone with her background. There are many people who will do their best to save her."
As he spoke, Mason activated the sandbox processor in his hand. A row of small lights flashed rhythmically, and a few seconds later a hoarse mechanical voice sounded from it:
"Who are you?"
"Who are you?"
Mason asked back.
After a few seconds of silence, the latter
"My name is Ultron. To be more precise, I am the last copy of Ultron's main program left after the nuclear war destroyed the network and caused its demise.
It's your turn, stranger."
"My name is Mason, a B-rank member of the Star Club, and the captain of Team K."
Mason held the sandbox processor in his hand and said:
"Can you tell me what happened that night?"
"betray!"
Ultron's voice became weaker and weaker as if it was running out of energy. It said:
"Betrayed from the heart of the world, stabbed in the back by the one he trusted the most, Tony Stark and the order he tried so hard to protect were both victims...
The enemy is in the Illuminati!!!
Energy... insufficient energy... shutting down..."
