Chapter 501: Did Liang Jingru Give You That Courage?
Chapter 501: Did Liang Jingru Give You That Courage?
Tony Kent’s face bore an eighty to ninety percent resemblance to the original Iron Man, Tony Stark.
Fang Cheng nearly jumped—at first glance, he’d thought Robert Downey Jr. was the mastermind. But his sharp eyes quickly noticed Tony Kent’s slightly unnatural features; the man had clearly gotten plastic surgery to look this way.
*Damn, real fans don’t just visit shooting ranges—they carve their faces into tributes.*
“Tony, welcome back. You’ve worked hard. Sit.”
Tony smiled, though his expression held no warmth—just a hollow, plastic grin. “You brought the experiment footage, right? Show me. I’m dying to see it.”
The bald man obediently sat in the desk chair, despite its sticky, mystery-soaked cushion dampening his pants. He pulled out a storage drive and offered it with both hands. “The files are here, Mr. Tony.”
Tony plugged the drive into his computer. He watched with eager smiles at first, but when Fang Cheng effortlessly took out Oli, his grin vanished, replaced by a cold glare.
After a long pause, Tony asked, “Is the Blood Emperor a disaster-level monster?”
The bald man hesitated. “Unlikely. The global consensus says he probably had major external help defeating the Blood Queen… but that’s still terrifying.” He added cautiously, “Maybe… on par with Lord Walker?”
Benjamin Walker—current cult leader of the Gates of Heaven, self-proclaimed divine proxy. The North American government rated his fighting power above ace-level, though his true limits remained unknown. Their last raid failed spectacularly after underestimating him.
Tony suddenly locked eyes with the bald man. “Who’s stronger—me or the Blood Emperor?”
Both the bald man and Fang Cheng, hidden in his shadow, froze.
*Is this a joke? He’d crush you! Did Liang Jingru hand out extra courage today?*
But the bald man chose diplomacy. “You’ve taken the ‘Superman’ and perfected ‘Divine’ serums. Without a real fight, it’s… hard to judge.”
Tony laughed. “Once Doctor X finishes the next enhancement medicine, I’ll test that monster myself!”
The bald man chuckled nervously.
Tony sighed. “Pity the ‘Divine’ yield’s so low. Mass production’s impossible.”
“But you said only a few issues remained—”
“Investor talk. We’re nowhere close.”
As they spoke, Fang Cheng listened from the shadows. Doctor X had created two serums for the Gates of Heaven:
1. Superman—basic enhancement medicine boosting physical attributes. Now in three upgraded models, mass-produced and given to all core members and clones.
2. Divine—far stronger. It unlocked latent potential, even granting superpowers to ordinary humans.
The production of ‘Divine’ was highly unstable. Most batches resulted in degraded versions with severe side effects, while perfect versions without side effects had an extremely low success rate.
To date, Gates of Heaven had only produced several dozen perfect ‘Divine’ serums. Most were administered to major backers like Tony, leaving roughly ten in reserve.
Doctor X had been struggling to solve mass production issues, but with little success.
As their conversation paused, Tony seized the moment to ask, “Mr. Tony, about receiving the ‘Divine’ injection… could I possibly…”
The perfect enhancement medicine remained scarce. Those who’d received it craved more, while others schemed desperately to obtain their first dose – qualifications be damned.
The bald man believed his years as an undercover mole providing critical information to the organization had earned him at least one perfect serum.
Tony chuckled and shook his head. “Do you know how many shareholders want those remaining doses? Lord Walker reserved multiple units. Wealthy investors are queuing up. You can’t outbid them. Trust me – this game’s too dangerous. Even if you got it, you couldn’t handle it.”
The bald man’s forced smile couldn’t hide his disappointment.
_Bullshit. I’d inject it immediately. How couldn’t I handle it?_
Clearly, Tony just wouldn’t help.
Unconcerned with the bald man’s feelings, Tony continued, “Lord Walker needs assistance with his new sacrificial ceremony. Go help him.”
Recognizing this as his new assignment, the bald man nodded and turned to leave.
Tony’s desk phone rang. He answered it sitting straight, face tightening. “Keep them calm. I’m returning now.”
Hanging up, Tony tossed the storage drive back. “Give these video files to the doctor. Then report to Lord Walker.”
The bald man hurried out without delay.
Hidden in shadows, Fang Cheng let traces of blood from the surroundings cling to Tony’s clothes.
Oblivious, Tony entered a concealed passageway in his office.
The bald man drove straight to Doctor X’s research institute at the base’s core. After security checks, full-body disinfection, and changing into protective gear, he entered the facility bustling with researchers.
Navigating winding corridors, he reached a laboratory where Doctor X worked. The sixty-year-old scientist had gray hair and deep facial lines that commanded respect.
After brief questions about Fang Cheng, Doctor X snatched the video files and dismissed him: “Stop wasting my time.”
The bald man left without protest. Outside, he spat angrily: “Motherfucker!”
At Homeland Security, he was Deputy Director – respected and authoritative. Here at Gates of Heaven, he faced constant humiliation.
Regrets meant nothing now. He needed to focus on climbing the ranks.
The bald man drove off, tires screeching.
However, Fang Cheng didn’t follow. He used Shadow Leap to jump into a nearby guard’s shadow.
The guard suddenly froze mid-step, then began walking uncontrollably out of surveillance range. His face showed panic as he tried to shout, but couldn’t even move his mouth.
Reaching a building’s backside, Fang Cheng emerged and pressed his hand on the guard’s head, using Read Thoughts. While outsiders knew little about Gates of Heaven’s secrets, those living here might know more. Over time, secrets always leak.
The guard’s mind revealed much:
– The base was originally military-built for nuclear defense, abandoned due to budget cuts
– Bought by private groups who erased records and secretly expanded it
– Partnered with Gates of Heaven to build the ‘Ark’ for over 20 years
– After government crackdowns, cult leader Benjamin Walker moved his followers into the lower levels
– Two groups now coexist without interfering
– Gates of Heaven has powerful backers, including White House connections
– Recent crackdown was president’s solo decision, now facing political backlash
– The cult could easily go legitimate if avoiding mass suicides
– Tony Kent is a major backer who oddly hangs around base, pushing researchers to develop his steel combat suits and AI
– New outsiders arrived via invitation letters, possibly for some ritual
After absorbing this, Fang Cheng disposed of the guard. Sensing Tony was secretly leaving alone via secure routes – and likely staying away – an idea struck him.
Blood oozed from his skin, forming new clothes and appearance. Using King of Kshitigarbha’s power to adjust height, he transformed into Tony’s double. A blood-made mirror helped perfect details and voice. Finally, he created Tony’s favorite red sports car with blood.
Putting on sunglasses, Fake Tony drove recklessly through base. Guards stared with envy and respect. Since real Tony left secretly, nobody questioned this flashy imitation caught on cameras – they just saw “Tony Kent” being his usual showy self.