Ch. 267 The God of Dark Magic

It didn't take long before the phone was answered, and Natasha's naturally seductive voice came through the other end of the line.

"I'm busy right now, so just say what you need."

Aside from Natasha's seductive voice, there were some strange background noises on the phone, sounding somewhat like a man's painful cries.

"I want information on Gideon Malick!"

Russell didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.

"Why do you need information on Gideon Malick?" Natasha countered.

"It's a personal matter I need to discuss with him," Russell replied, not revealing his true intentions to Natasha and giving a random excuse.

"Wait a moment!"

After Natasha's response, Russell heard the sound of the phone being placed on the ground.

Subsequently, he heard the sounds of punches landing and bodies hitting the ground.

Russell didn't hang up the phone, patiently waiting.

Although he couldn't see what was happening on the other end, he could gauge Natasha's actions from the sounds.

He wondered who the unlucky individuals were experiencing Natasha's wrath.

After waiting for several tens of seconds, Natasha's voice resurfaced.

"The hiding place of Gideon Malick is currently being verified by S.H.I.E.L.D."

Despite having shaken off the brainwashing effects, Natasha's relationship with Russell had not become overly tense. Their current relationship was somewhat complicated.

They weren't exactly friends, nor were they enemies. Based on their recent interactions, they were more like special partners in a unique situation.

"Do you have several suspected locations? If you don't mind, perhaps we can cooperate this time," Russell proposed.

The previous S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't know that Gideon Malick was one of the leaders of Hydra. However, the current circumstances were different. If they couldn't trace the connection between Gideon Malick and Hydra even after receiving the Hydra list he had provided, Russell had reason to doubt that S.H.I.E.L.D. was being negligent.

"Cooperate? How do you propose we cooperate?" Natasha asked with suspicion.

"It's simple. I understand you're currently occupied with eliminating the Hydra members embedded within S.H.I.E.L.D. I can assist you with Gideon Malick on my end."

"As long as you can provide information on Gideon Malick, I don't mind helping you with this small favor and making Gideon Malick and his Hydra disappear completely," Russell calmly stated.

After he finished speaking, Natasha didn't immediately respond. Instead, she fell silent.

After about a dozen seconds, Natasha finally said, "I can't decide on this cooperation. I'll relay it to Nick Fury, and he'll decide whether to cooperate."

"Fair enough. Just remind Nick Fury that time waits for no one, and don't take too long to make a decision."

"Alright."

After saying this, Natasha hung up the phone.

Once the call ended, Russell tossed his phone onto his desk.

While he could have had No. 3 infiltrate S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database to search for information on Gideon Malick, he knew better than to underestimate S.H.I.E.L.D. Furthermore, S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters' database was likely physically isolated. Even with remote hacking skills, breaking into it would be a challenge, even for No. 3.

Russell didn't have to wait long for Natasha's response. In a little over ten minutes, his phone rang again.

He answered the call, and Natasha's voice came through.

"Fury has agreed. The suspected hiding places of Gideon Malick will be sent to the official Justice League email shortly."

"A wise decision," Russell responded with a smile.

While S.H.I.E.L.D. was an officially supported espionage organization, it didn't mean they had endless resources. If S.H.I.E.L.D. had trouble dealing with Hydra members embedded within their own organization even after receiving the list Gideon Malick had provided, Russell had reason to suspect negligence.

"Are you planning to kill Gideon Malick directly?" Natasha asked once more.

"Why do you ask?"

"If possible, we'd like to keep Gideon Malick alive for questioning."

"I'll do my best."

While he said that, Russell had no intention of handing Gideon Malick over to S.H.I.E.L.D. alive. If S.H.I.E.L.D. learned about the possibility of the Kree monolith opening a space portal to Maveth, they might try to establish an extraterrestrial base there. Russell wasn't going to let anyone occupy Maveth, not even S.H.I.E.L.D. If the Kree, the creators of the Inhumans, returned, he wouldn't hand over Maveth either. Maveth was his to keep.

After hearing Russell's response, Natasha understood that Gideon Malick likely wouldn't survive to be in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody.

Although she didn't know the personal history between Russell and Gideon Malick, she understood Russell's character. She hung up the phone, and Russell patiently waited for the email from S.H.I.E.L.D.

After a few minutes, Russell received the information on Gideon Malick's suspected hiding places.

After reviewing the information projected by No. 3, Russell instructed several squads of White Zetsu soldiers to make their move. Gideon Malick's suspected hiding places totaled four, and none of them were in the United States, which was unsurprising. It would be strange if Gideon Malick were still in the U.S. at this point.

Once he had given the orders to No. 3, Russell headed to the balcony of his study for some sunlight therapy.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, three days had gone by. During these three days, Russell had remained at the Justice League headquarters and hadn't gone anywhere else. Besides his daily sunbathing, his main focus during this time had been on testing and examining Wanda and Pietro.

Although he wasn't the one conducting the tests and examinations, Russell still paid close attention. After detailed testing, Pietro's current limit for his super-speed had been accurately determined: Mach 7.

In addition to that, No. 3 had conducted a detailed examination of Pietro's metabolism and discovered that Pietro's metabolism was three times that of an average person. While having a metabolism three times faster than normal might seem like a burden, it didn't cause any problems for Pietro. His cells were just as lively, and he had a healthy appetite, eating more than most people.

Pietro's tests and examinations went smoothly.

However, when No. 3 began testing and examining Wanda, one unexpected incident followed another. Although No. 3 had prepared various testing and examination equipment, nothing could be measured about Wanda's powers. Wanda's abilities were as unmeasurable by scientific instruments as the magic of Kamar-Taj.

Furthermore, every time No. 3 attempted other methods to test Wanda's powers, the testing equipment would inexplicably malfunction. In severe cases, the equipment would even explode.

After several testing devices exploded, Russell made the decision to halt Wanda's testing. While No. 3 might not fully comprehend Wanda's abilities, Russell knew exactly what was going on.

Don't forget that Wanda had been chosen by the God of Dark Magic, Chthon. Speaking of Chthon, he was a heavyweight in the Marvel Universe, on par with the cosmic beings.

Chthon was one of the Elder Gods and one of the earliest life forms on Earth. He possessed immeasurable power, and even characters like Mephisto, the Lord of Hell, and Dormammu, the ruler of the Dark Dimension, had borrowed his power at times.

Chthon was the first sorcerer in the Marvel Universe, and he was the most powerful one. He held titles such as God of Dark Magic, Lord of the Abyss, and Master of the Darkhold, among others.

Even the Eternity, one of the cosmic beings, had said that Chthon was the cancer that devoured him.

For the Eternity to give such an evaluation, it was enough to prove Chthon's immense power. The infamous Darkhold, for example, was originally written by Chthon.

The Darkhold's prototype was the Chthon Scrolls. Before his exile to other dimensions, Chthon had recorded all of his evil deeds and spells on indestructible parchment.

These scrolls were later revised into volumes and became known as the Darkhold.

From a certain perspective, the Darkhold was the opposite of the Book of the Vishanti. One was the source of necromancy and other black magic books, while the other was the supreme tome of white magic.

The only difference was that the Book of the Vishanti wouldn't corrupt or tempt people to use it, and it wouldn't consume the souls of those who used its magic. While Russell wasn't an official graduate yet, he was still part of the Kamar-Taj sorcerers. However, to access the Book of the Vishanti, he needed further approval from the Ancient One. If he recalled correctly, among the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, only the Ancient One and Doctor Strange had perused the Book of the Vishanti.

Seeing that there was a mysterious force preventing No. 3 from testing Wanda's powers, Russell wisely controlled his curiosity and didn't allow No. 3 to continue. Although Chthon was currently sealed atop Mount Wundagore, it didn't mean he couldn't exert any influence on the real world.

Who knew how many tricks such a heavyweight had hidden? Even if he could only project a less-than-complete magical avatar for a short time, it was beyond Russell's capabilities to deal with it.

This was a heavyweight who could rival the cosmic beings, and Russell wasn't arrogant enough to arm-wrestle with such a figure.

Sometimes, it was okay to listen to your heart. There was no shame in that.

While he couldn't perform a detailed test of Wanda's powers, it didn't hinder Russell's plans for her. As the only sorcerer in the Justice League at the moment, Wanda had yet to awaken her Chaos Magic.

Russell had long decided on a plan to introduce Wanda and Pietro to the decadent life of capitalism.

From the very beginning, he had planned to corrupt Wanda and Pietro with the temptations of capitalist life. Having Wanda participate in Kara's solo movie was just one step in the plan.

Kara's solo movie was already halfway through production. Adding a new character as a significant supporting role wasn't a wise move, but for Russell, who had ample resources, it was no problem at all.

Changing the script and reshooting some scenes? No problem at all.

As long as there was enough production budget, he could even start from scratch without any issues.

Having Wanda participate in Kara's solo movie was just one part of the plan. Apart from that, Russell had arranged numerous activities for Wanda and Pietro to experience the decadent and corrupt life of capitalism.

In addition to participating in Kara's solo movie, Russell also had another reason for involving Wanda. He wanted to quickly build a strong rapport between Kara and Wanda.

After arranging Wanda's schedule for the coming days, Russell summoned Skye to his study.

After three days of investigation, the suspected locations of Gideon Malick had been found.

"Are you planning to take me on a mission?" Skye asked when she entered the study.

"Yes, if you don't have anything else to prepare, we can leave now," Russell replied calmly.

"I need to go back and change into my combat attire. Give me a few minutes," Skye said quickly.

"Alright."

A few minutes later, Skye reappeared in Russell's presence, dressed in a black combat suit.

While Skye's physique wasn't particularly outstanding and even leaned toward being petite, the uniform of the Justice League perfectly showcased her curves.

In addition to changing her training attire to combat attire, Skye had also equipped herself with various personal weapons, including an energy pistol, an energy dagger, and energy grenades, which were standard equipment for White Zetsu soldiers.

"Very good, looking sharp!" Russell complimented after assessing Skye's appearance.

Although Skye hadn't awakened her Quake powers yet, she now possessed the aura of a combatant.

As for her combat capabilities, that would be tested in due time. After Skye's assessment, Russell stood up and cast a portal spell right in front of her.

In the blink of an eye, a shimmering golden circular portal appeared before Skye.

"Let's go!" Russell said, and he stepped into the portal first.