Ch. 245 Black Order

When people get bored, they tend to do impulsive things.

For example, impulsive shopping.

Russell, feeling a bit bored over the past month, impulsively bought the entire building.

Although it cost him quite a bit of money, money was just a number to him now.

After leaving the Octopus Monster Industries headquarters, he headed straight to the Justice League headquarter.

His life had become quite monotonous lately, revolving around three places: his apartment, the Justice League, and the Octopus Monster Industries headquarters.

Apart from these three places, he rarely ventured anywhere else.

It wasn't because he had become a recluse like the Hulk; it was simply because he didn't have much to do at the moment.

Despite holding the titles of head of the Justice League and the Superhero Serum, he hadn't been out making a name for himself in a long time.

Except for Peter and Gwen, most of the other members of the Justice League were no longer actively engaged in hero activities.

After arriving at the Justice League headquarter, Russell first went to the Cloak of Levitation's bedroom and played a video game with it.

After playing the game with the Cloak of Levitation, he went to the Hulk's bedroom and pulled the Hulk, who was drinking in his room, to the training ground to check on his recent progress.

The Hulk now was completely different from when he first joined the Justice League.

He had gone from wielding swords and staffs to fists and kicks.

While the Hulk couldn't be considered a master of all trades, he was proficient in most of them.

In fact, when it came to some melee weapons like axes, hammers, and meteor hammers, the Hulk was better than Russell.

Russell had initially planned to evaluate the Hulk's recent progress and satisfy his own urge for combat.

However, after assessing the Hulk's progress, the Hulk himself suggested sparring with him.

"You sure?" Russell asked in surprise.

"Hulk sure!" the Hulk replied.

.

.

.

A few minutes later, Russell was currently staring at Hulk, who was battered and bruised, lying on the floor filled with holes and damage from Hulk's body slamming.

Although throughout the fight, Hulk could always rise and keep getting up, but with how Russell continuously attacked Hulk with the martial art he specifically designed for his body, in the end, Hulk had to admit defeat due to Russell's dominance in terms of physicality, abilities, experience, and more.

"You need more practice with your instincts and your intuition," Russell told the downed Hulk after he stopped his barrage.

"Understanding some martial arts may be good for you, but don't forget that your instincts and intuition are important too."

Russell reminded the Hulk.

However, with the Hulk's current attitude, he was unlikely to accept these words.

The Hulk remained silent, brushed off the dust from his body, and rubbed his sore spots.

Then, he walked straight to the edge of the training ground.

Arriving at the training ground, he picked up a second barrel of liquor and chugged it down.

To someone who didn't know the Hulk's personality, seeing his actions, they would probably think he wanted to continue the fight. But Russell knew that the Hulk was merely drinking for the sake of it.

After telling the Hulk, Russell flew directly towards the residential area. Although there were still several hours until nightfall, he had no intention of returning to Octopus Monster Industries headquarters or his apartment early. Diana was at the apartment, and if he returned early, she would likely pull him into another game of flying chess. While flying chess was a fun and enjoyable activity, it could be exhausting if played excessively.

Upon returning to the residential area, he went to the room that was nominally the Cloak of Levitation's bedroom but was actually a game room.

While the Cloak of Levitation couldn't speak, it made for a formidable and competent gaming partner.

He stayed in the Cloak of Levitation's room until nightfall, playing various multiplayer console games.

Though he enjoyed gaming, he only preferred console games.

When night fell, Russell bid farewell to the Cloak of Levitation and the Hulk and flew back to the apartment.

As usual, when he arrived at the apartment, Diana had already prepared dinner for the evening. She now had more time to focus on honing her culinary skills since she didn't have to work.

Because he no longer had to go to the museum to work, Russell and Diana spent their time together like a typical live-in couple. They had dinner together, watched soap operas, and played flying chess together.

Another uneventful day!

After their last flying chess match of the evening, Russell lay on the comfortable and soft bed, gazing up at the ceiling in contemplation.

Just as he thought the day was coming to an end, No. 3's voice suddenly sounded.

"Sir, there has been an unexplained large explosion at the Dark Energy Task Research Base in Tucson, Arizona. Satellite surveillance detected a severe excess of gamma energy signals."

Hearing No. 3's voice, Russell furrowed his brows.

An unexplained large explosion?

Although No. 3 described the sudden explosion in this way, Russell was well aware of what was likely happening.

The Cosmic Cube!

More accurately, it was the forced opening of a portal using the Cosmic Cube!

Under normal circumstances, to use the Cosmic Cube to open a portal, you needed to possess the Cosmic Cube itself. However, aside from this conventional method, there was a unique way to open portals remotely, even without the Cosmic Cube. In the movie universe, Loki utilized this method to arrive at the laboratory where the Cosmic Cube was stored, despite being in a distant part of outer space. He then proceeded to steal the Cosmic Cube and wreak havoc at the base, ultimately setting it ablaze.

Though Russell didn't understand how Loki, who was far away in outer space, managed this feat, he was certain that the Cosmic Cube could create portals from both ends. It didn't matter if you had the Cosmic Cube or not. As long as the Cosmic Cube was willing to respond, it could open a portal to bring you anywhere in the universe, regardless of your location.

"Continue monitoring the base. Also, send a team of White Outsiders to investigate."

Russell instructed No. 3.

"Understood, sir!"

No. 3 promptly responded.

After giving the orders to No. 3, Russell had no intention of getting out of bed.

"Aren't you going to check it out?" Diana, lying beside him, used her index finger to draw circles on his chest lazily and asked with a hint of curiosity.

"I won't go. The explosion occurred at the S.H.I.E.L.D. and NASA base, not the regular Justice League base. There's no need to be overly concerned."

Although Russell said this, he already had images of the Chitauri army invading New York in his mind.

Could it be Loki again, or someone else?

Russell wondered.

However, he quickly ruled out the possibility. From the current situation, it was unlikely that Loki was the one leading the attack. The main reason was that Thor, the God of Thunder, hadn't been banished to Earth, and therefore, the Rainbow Bridge battle between Thor and Loki never took place. Since the Rainbow Bridge battle hadn't occurred, Loki wouldn't have roamed the universe, and he wouldn't have encountered Thanos.

"You seem to know what's going to happen next?" Diana, with her beautiful onyx eyes, looked at him intently, her perfect face showing a trace of curiosity.

"It's just speculation, and I can't say for sure whether it will happen."

Russell had discussed similar questions with Diana before, considering whether S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research on the Cosmic Cube  would attract an alien invasion. Although he knew that it would likely be the Chitauri, he couldn't directly tell Diana this.

Though Russell had acquired significant magical abilities, foreseeing the future was not within his current capabilities.

"If there is indeed an alien invasion this time, I'll join you in resolving it. I can't continue working at the museum now."

Diana said seriously.

"Alright!"

Russell didn't refuse and readily agreed. If a genuine alien invasion event took place in New York, it would provide the perfect opportunity for Diana to make her debut as Wonder Woman. Unlike Kara and Peter, bringing Diana into the spotlight was not something that could be accomplished with a simple press conference.

As Diana's boyfriend, Russell felt a responsibility to arrange a grand and meaningful debut for her. Moreover, only a major global event that drew widespread attention was suitable for Diana's status and abilities.

At least, that's what he believed.

The next day.

Due to their intense flying chess game the previous night, Russell and Diana slept in until eleven in the morning.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing Russell saw was Diana, wearing only a white shirt that showcased her long, slender legs, walking towards the bedroom.

"You're awake~"

Diana turned to look at Russell, flashing a radiant smile.

"Hmm!"

Russell replied.

He then got up and followed Diana into the bathroom.

What was initially a simple morning routine turned into an hour-long stay in the bathroom due to certain special circumstances.

After returning to the bedroom and changing into their respective clothes, Diana headed to the kitchen to prepare lunch for the day, while Russell went to the study to browse through the information No. 3 had collected.

Sipping his coffee and examining the holographic screens and data, he furrowed his brow slightly.

No. 3 had only mentioned an unexplained explosion at the Dark Energy Task Research Base last night. However, the real situation was much worse.

The entire base, a joint facility of S.H.I.E.L.D. and NASA, had vanished, leaving behind a massive crater several kilometers in diameter. Russell had a bad feeling about this.

While it was true that in the movie universe, the base had been destroyed by Loki, the scale of destruction was nowhere near what he was seeing now. The enormous crater on the screen looked as though it had been caused by a massive asteroid impact.

After reviewing the current situation of the Dark Energy Task Research Base, Russell began to look at other information gathered by No. 3.

Although the satellites responsible for monitoring the base weren't specialized spy satellites, they had captured some intriguing footage.

The satellites had recorded the moment of the explosion at the base and the various vehicles and helicopters evacuating before the explosion.

Among these slightly blurry images, No. 3 had highlighted a seemingly ordinary vehicle.

It was an unassuming transport truck, but its passengers were anything but ordinary.

With some technical enhancements, No. 3 had sharpened the somewhat blurry image.

Upon seeing the passengers on the transport truck, Russell let out a silent sigh.

It was indeed them!

Although he could currently only see the two individuals sitting on the cargo bed of the vehicle, he immediately recognized them.

The Black Dwarf, whose size rivaled the Hulk's and was far beyond that of an average person, and Proxima Midnight, the leader of the Black Order, second only to Thanos himself. She wielded a unique bladed weapon.

As for the driver, the image was not very clear due to the roof and windows of the vehicle, but the silhouette indicated that it was likely Corvus Glaive, the lover of Proxima Midnight.

Without Loki acting as the vanguard this time, it seemed that Black Dwarf, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive, three members of the Black Order, were serving as the vanguard.

Was this Thanos' arrangement since the Rainbow Bridge battle between Thor and Loki never happened? Without that battle, Loki wouldn't have wandered the universe and encountered Thanos.

The question was whether Thanos had intentionally chosen to send Black Dwarf, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive as the vanguard. Russell found it strange.

While it made sense for Thanos to take advantage of the automatic activation of the Cosmic Cube to open a portal, he should have sent Ebony Maw, the most formidable, cunning, and strategist-like member of the Black Order, instead of Black Dwarf, who didn't appear very intelligent.

There was something off about this.

Definitely something off.

Thanos couldn't have been unaware of this.

After viewing the footage restored by No. 3, Russell reviewed the report sent by the White Outsiders, who had been dispatched to Tucson, Arizona.

The intelligence provided by the White Outsiders didn't reveal anything particularly noteworthy. It mostly confirmed that the base had completely disappeared, resulting in heavy casualties among the S.H.I.E.L.D. and NASA personnel.

"Have the White Outsiders continue gathering intelligence, and find a few 'informants' within S.H.I.E.L.D. to learn more about the situation."

"Do we have any word from Natasha?"

Russell asked No. 3.

"We have not received any contact from Natasha at the moment."

No. 3 promptly replied.

Hearing No. 3's response, Russell pondered for a few seconds.

Then, he used the "Absolute Command" of the King's Serum to connect with Grendel, who was still at the underwater temple in the Atlantic Ocean.

"Go to the Dark Energy Task Research Base in Tucson, Arizona, immediately. Show your face there, pretend to inspect the wreckage at the base, and then you can leave."

"Very well, Your Majesty! Your most loyal, trustworthy, and reliable servant, Grendel, assures you that the mission will be completed!"

Grendel's voice echoed directly in his mind through the psychic connection.

Without giving Grendel a chance to continue speaking, Russell decisively severed the psychic connection.

After completing all of this, he picked up his coffee from the table and took a sip.

Then, he left the study and joined Diana in the kitchen to prepare lunch together.

After enjoying a warm lunch prepared by Diana in their apartment, Russell leisurely made his way to Octopus Monster Industries.

Although Thanos had sent Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, and Black Dwarf to Earth, Russell wasn't particularly concerned about it right now. To create a stable portal large enough for the Chitauri army to pass through using the Cosmic Cube, the three members of the Black Order still had a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.

In summary, it was unlikely that the Chitauri army would arrive on Earth in the near future.