Chapter 60

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When Liu Ruian returned to the temporary camp with Dr. Bruce Banner, who had been beaten back to his "original form," Phil Coulson and Natasha Romanoff, who had been waiting, felt quite conflicted.

It was impossible not to feel conflicted. The Hulk, after all, was a terrifying existence capable of destroying an entire army or even a city. Yet, in the face of a certain individual, he was reduced to his "original form" in just a few moments. The implications of this were all too clear to the two of them.

Especially with Liu Ruian's current appearance, which bore a striking resemblance to an angel. Coupled with the earlier appearance of Thor, Phil Coulson and Natasha Romanoff couldn't help but wonder if this person might indeed have some connection to the angels, as his name suggested.

After all, if the Norse gods, who existed only in myths and legends, turned out to be "aliens," who could guarantee that the gods and angels of Christianity weren't in a similar situation?

Even if there was no connection, the sheer power displayed by this individual was enough to warrant serious attention from S.H.I.E.L.D.

Unfortunately, the battle had been too brief, and not much data had been collected. Nevertheless, it left a deeply dangerous impression on both of them.

After placing the defeated Dr. Bruce Banner, who was only covered by a loincloth made of sand, on the ground, Liu Ruian, still in the guise of Imperius Angel, smiled and said, "We can talk later. Could you please find some clothes for Dr. Banner first?"

Phil Coulson, of course, had no objection to this request.

Soon, Dr. Bruce Banner, who had almost been running around naked, was taken to a temporary emergency area set up specifically for such situations.

"Hey, Phil, aren't you going to introduce me to the beautiful lady beside you?"

Liu Ruian, removing the helmet of his angelic armor, smiled brightly, making Phil Coulson feel a momentary flutter in his heart.

Before his companion could speak, Natasha Romanoff stepped forward and introduced herself, "I'm Natasha Romanoff, a senior agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Has Liu mentioned me?"

"Nice to meet you, beautiful lady. I am Imperius Angel." Liu Ruian, performing an ancient nobleman's bow, smiled and said, "That guy rarely talks about this world to me. He says it's to keep things fresh each time I come here."

"I always thought Liu was just pulling my leg, but after meeting you, I realize he was right."

Even as a seasoned agent who had faced countless life-and-death situations, Natasha Romanoff couldn't deny the effect of Liu Ruian's charming smile and flattery on her.

However, as a seasoned agent, she maintained her composure and changed the subject, "How is Liu?"

"He's fine, just his power armor was destroyed by that big guy." Liu Ruian, now towering over them due to his transformed height, replied.

At this point, Liu Ruian seemed to remember something and said apologetically, "Sorry, I just remembered that Liu has something to discuss with me. Since everything here is settled, I'll be leaving now."

"Wait a moment." Phil Coulson, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

"Is there something else, Phil?" Liu Ruian asked, looking at him.

"I have some things to discuss with Liu as well. How about we do it together?" Phil Coulson said diplomatically, looking up at the golden-armored giant.

It was impossible to ignore the potential chaos that would ensue if Liu Ruian, in his current form, appeared on the streets of New York. Even a playboy who liked to fly around in a suit of armor was, after his identity was revealed, still somewhat acceptable. But if he were mistaken for a real angel by fanatics, the situation could quickly spiral out of control.

"Together?" Liu Ruian, understanding Phil's concern, smiled and shook his head. "Phil, don't worry. My movements won't be detected."

"Alright." Seeing his thoughts laid bare, Phil Coulson, knowing he couldn't persuade or influence Liu, had to concede.

"It would be an honor to have dinner with a beautiful lady." Before putting his helmet back on, Liu Ruian didn't forget to flirt with the Black Widow.

"I'd be delighted. When? Where?" Natasha Romanoff, looking at his bright, handsome smile, responded promptly.

Don't misunderstand; her readiness wasn't entirely due to his charm. It was more out of necessity for her work. Before this mission with Phil Coulson, Natasha Romanoff had received orders to get close to a certain angelic baron.

"It's my pleasure." Liu Ruian, smiling brightly, said, "To ensure a beautiful evening for you, please give me a moment to make the arrangements."

"Of course." Natasha Romanoff nodded.

Liu Ruian knew that her prompt acceptance wasn't because of his current appearance. However, since he had already changed his attitude and plans regarding S.H.I.E.L.D., it made sense to take advantage of the opportunity.

After nodding to Phil Coulson, Liu Ruian put his helmet back on. He then took a few steps back before unfolding the metal wings on his back. With a gentle flap, he shot into the sky.

The white mist indicating supersonic speed allowed Liu Ruian to reach an extremely high altitude in just a few breaths.

"How's the situation?" Phil Coulson, returning to the tent as soon as Liu Ruian left, asked.

"No energy readings detected. Speed has reached Mach 10 and is still increasing," the staff member at the control panel reported quickly.

"Lock onto the target's movements and record all relevant data."

Almost as soon as Phil Coulson issued the new order, the red dot on the monitor disappeared with a "Biu~."

"Damn! The target has suddenly vanished!" The staff member, frantically pressing keys, reported.

"Did he exceed the atmosphere?" Phil Coulson, staring at the screen, asked.

"Unlikely. Satellites in low Earth orbit haven't detected him," the staff member, shaking his head, replied.

"Alright, Phil, this is normal." Natasha Romanoff, patting her colleague's shoulder, reminded him with a hint of amusement, "Don't forget, he might be a god, just like the hammer-wielding one."

Faced with this, Phil Coulson, instructing his subordinates to continue the search, could only smile bitterly.

Meanwhile, Liu Ruian, using his telepathic ability, instantly appeared at the Umbrella Technology base. With the help of specialized equipment, he quickly removed his angelic armor.

As Liu Ruian closed his eyes, in just a few breaths, the tall, blonde, white man's appearance transformed back to his usual self.

"Starling, how are Skye and the others?" Liu Ruian, back to his normal appearance, asked, stretching.

"They are resting," Starling replied.

"Starling, we can start the Inhuman breeding program."

Nodding, Liu Ruian used his telepathic ability to disappear from the restricted area.

In just a few breaths, the artificial human, who had temporarily left under the pretext of taking a shower, appeared in the prepared laboratory.

Here, the artificial human, serving as a stand-in, would undergo a series of tests and studies, all aimed at understanding the principle of the "mental link" state.

At the same time, they would explore the possibility of transforming this special state into a mature technology.

In fact, such a technology already existed, but it came from a virtual universe sandbox game called "EVE Online" (translated to Chinese as "Star Wars: The Old Republic").

In this game, players transfer their consciousness to a clone using a technology similar to "mental link." Regardless of whether it's a natural disaster or a human-made one, if the clone dies, the player's consciousness returns to their original body at the moment of death. They can then transfer to a new clone and continue the game.

This provided a reasonable explanation for the "infinite life" bug in the game.

More importantly, this technology had become commonplace in the "EVE Online" world.

With Liu Ruian's abilities, he could easily obtain this technology by traveling to that world. Of course, the "EVE Online" world also contained many other valuable items and technologies, such as starships and stargates.

Unfortunately, Liu Ruian couldn't travel to the game world, at least not yet, so he had to rely on his own research.

The reason he needed this "mental link" technology was simple. Even with Kryptonian and Inhuman genes, Liu Ruian couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't face fatal dangers during his future travels.

With this technology, he would effectively have multiple lives.

While the "mental link" ability was powerful, it had its limitations. To find a stand-in with a high mental compatibility, Liu Ruian had to invest a significant amount of resources and effort, eventually selecting a suitable candidate from a large number of artificial humans.