Sebastian Shaw was doomed to die.
Even if Captain America and Hawkeye had arrived earlier, they couldn't have prevented Shaw's execution. Had the entire Avengers roster appeared, the outcome would remain unchanged—Richard would not be denied his target.
As the Masamune slashed across Shaw's neck, his head soared upward like a volleyball, blood trailing behind it due to inertia. From the severed neck, crimson liquid gushed forth like an open faucet.
To avoid being splattered with blood, Richard channeled his mana, creating a protective barrier around himself. Simultaneously, he directed the meteorites suspended in the air to dissolve back into pure mana, which his body reabsorbed.
As the large and small meteorites in the sky vanished like mist, Richard immediately activated his Plunder ability.
[Gain new ability: Energy Absorption!]
[Detected same type of abilities, initiating ability fusion!]
[Energy Absorption is enhanced!]
[Energy Absorption level increased, current level: Alpha level!]
[Energy Absorption: Absorbs all energy except psychic energy. The stored energy can be released again or used to strengthen oneself. Current level: Alpha level!]
[X-Gene Mutant power List Updated!]
[Alpha level: Plunder, Super Strength, Enhanced Durability, Accelerated Healing, Teleportation, Immortality, Magnetic Field Manipulation, Energy Absorption]
[Beta level: Invisibility, Enhanced Senses, Telepathy, Giant Body, Gravity Binding, Thermal Vision, Pressure Burst, Flying, Momentum Shift, Mind Movement, Force Field Creation, Energy Materialization, Water Manipulation, Water Elementalization]
[Delta level: Beast Instinct, Bone Claw]
As Richard had anticipated, after plundering Sebastian Shaw's energy absorption ability, his own Beta-level energy absorption and energy emission abilities had fused and strengthened. Though still classified as Alpha level, the newly enhanced version surpassed Shaw's original power.
He couldn't quantify the exact improvement, but one fact remained certain—his energy absorption now exceeded the capabilities Sebastian Shaw had possessed.
Viewing the information panel before him, Richard smiled with deep satisfaction. Before his encounter with the Hellfire Club, he'd possessed only five Alpha-level mutantpowers. Now, merely half a day later, he had acquired three more: Immortality, Magnetic Field Manipulation, and Energy Absorption.
Beyond these powers, Sebastian Shaw had unwittingly "gifted" Richard all his overseas deposits and the Hellfire Club's liquid assets. Just as Professor Xavier personally funded the X-Men and his School for Gifted Youngsters, all Hellfire Club expenses had been Sebastian Shaw's responsibility.
When searching Shaw's mind for overseas bank account numbers and passwords, Richard discovered personal deposits totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. Combined with the Hellfire Club's liquid funds, Shaw had "donated" over 500 million dollars to Richard's cause.
Though America boasted many billionaires, few could produce 500 million in liquid assets on demand.
If this isn't a windfall, what is?
Dismissing the information panel, Richard retrieved the mind-isolating helmet held by the copper wires and stored it in his system space as a trophy.
While Richard reveled in his successes, Captain America's expression aboard the Quinjet had soured considerably. He knew Sebastian Shaw wasn't a model citizen, and the Hellfire Club hardly represented lawful enterprise. But neither the Avengers nor S.H.I.E.L.D. had designated Shaw or his organization as priority targets.
The reason was straightforward—Shaw maintained "deep" personal connections with numerous high-ranking U.S. officials. When the Department of Mutant Affairs approached the Hellfire Club to collaborate on enhanced clone development, these senior officials had acted as intermediaries.
Moreover, compared to organizations like the Brotherhood of Mutants, the Hellfire Club maintained a façade of "discretion" and "legal compliance." At minimum, Shaw and his organization presented a law-abiding front to the public.
"What should we do? Arrest him?" Hawkeye asked from the pilot's seat.
Hearing Hawkeye's question, Captain America responded without hesitation: "Of course!"
Unbuckling his seat belt, he stood and moved toward the rear compartment, determined to apprehend Richard personally. However, as he arrived and retrieved his vibranium shield, a weathered voice echoed through the cabin.
"Rogers, Barton—return to headquarters immediately. Richard Wesley is being handled by the Department of Mutant Affairs. He is not a S.H.I.E.L.D. target."
The speaker was none other than the current S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Nick "Don't F*** With Me" Fury.
Though not physically present in Miami, Fury monitored operations from the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters. After Captain America and Hawkeye departed the Miami branch in their Quinjet, he'd received a situation report from the branch director.
Had they been responding to routine incidents, Fury might have overlooked their autonomous action. But upon learning they intended to confront Richard directly, he'd immediately invoked his directorial authority to establish remote contact with their Quinjet.
As a quintessential American agent, Fury harbored his own distaste for Richard. Despite this personal antipathy, he recognized that Richard wasn't a mutant to be engaged lightly. In Fury's assessment, neutralizing Richard would require, at minimum, the entire Avengers roster.
Beyond assembling sufficient force, they would need to create a battlefield from which Richard couldn't escape. Otherwise, capturing him remained an exercise in futility.
After hearing Fury's directive, Captain America returned to the cockpit, seized the communicator, and countered: "He killed someone right in front of Barton and me!"
"He also killed someone in front of Romanoff and Banner this afternoon," Fury responded sharply. "If you believe you can accomplish what the Hulk couldn't, I'll authorize your attempt to arrest Richard."
Captain America fell silent. After several seconds, he relented: "Barton and I will return shortly."
Terminating the communication, he set aside his vibranium shield, returned to his seat, and secured his safety harness. Observing Captain America's compliance, Hawkeye immediately piloted the Quinjet away from the marina.
Within moments, the aircraft vanished into the night sky.
Leaving already?
Richard shrugged and returned the Masamune to his system space. Though lacking super hearing to eavesdrop on Captain America and Hawkeye's conversation, his enhanced vision had allowed him to observe Captain America retrieve his shield from the cabin—a clear indication that the righteous captain intended to apprehend him.
Unexpectedly, Captain America and Hawkeye had departed without confrontation.
A pity.
Richard sighed. He had hoped to test how many strikes of Octoslash would be required to shatter Captain America's vibranium shield—to determine whether he could demonstrate dominance exceeding even Thanos in the cinematic universe.
Unfortunately, plans rarely survived contact with reality.
After returning the Masamune to his system space, Richard glanced briefly at Sebastian Shaw's decapitated body. Then, using teleportation, he instantly transported himself from the marina to the rooftop where Emma Frost awaited.
Arriving before Emma, he smiled suggestively and asked: "Have you thought of other positions that might make us both happier?"
...
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