Chapter 73

Under the propulsion of sixteen sets of improved nano-plasma pulse thrusters, the silver-white spaceship shot through the atmosphere at an extremely fast speed, heading toward Venus.

"Is this the surprise you were talking about?" Standing by the open armor window, Nick Fury pointed to the outer space and asked.

"No, no, no, this is only part of the surprise," Liu Ruian said with a smile, shaking his index finger.

Just as he finished speaking, Phil Coulson, dressed in a black soft inner armor, walked in from the cabin door.

"How do you feel, Phil?" Liu Ruian asked with a smile, looking at the solid and well-built figure under the close-fitting protective suit.

Phil Coulson moved his limbs, feeling the enhancement in strength, and said seriously, "Not very used to it, but it's indeed good."

"Unfortunately, the Mjolnir power armor still has certain requirements for the user, and ordinary people can't wear it."

"There's no way around it; good things are like that." Liu Ruian shrugged. "Moreover, most people wouldn't be able to make full use of it even if they wore it."

"Li, why are you going to Venus instead of the Moon?" Nick Fury asked, pointing to the Moon that had already been left behind.

"Simple, the Moon is someone else's territory. If we go there rashly, we might be treated as enemies and driven away." Liu Ruian smiled, pointing to the direction of the Moon.

"Someone else's territory?" Nick Fury and Phil Coulson exchanged glances, and his expression turned serious.

"Yes, but I suggest you don't disturb them, or else..." Liu Ruian said with a smile, intentionally leaking the information.

However, whether the two would listen was uncertain.

Well, whether they would listen or not didn't matter to Liu Ruian at all.

If Nick Fury really wanted to take action against the Moon, it wouldn't be a problem, as long as he didn't die too easily.

Otherwise, even if S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't completely fall apart, it would end up in a tragic state.

Whether it was because they understood the warning in Liu Ruian's words or for some other reason, Nick Fury quickly changed the topic of the Moon.

The sixteen sets of improved nano-plasma pulse thrusters propelled the spaceship they were in at a speed of nearly 20 million kilometers per hour toward Venus.

The distance between Venus and Earth is about 40 million kilometers, so at the current top speed of the spaceship, the journey would take just over two hours.

During this time, Liu Ruian took Phil Coulson to familiarize himself with the Mjolnir power armor.

The two hours passed quickly, and when the spaceship landed on the small base that was already taking shape, Phil Coulson, wearing the Mjolnir power armor, quickly demonstrated its various functions in front of Liu Ruian and Nick Fury, who were wearing ordinary space suits.

It had to be admitted that the power armor was indeed excellent. Although it couldn't match the functionality of a certain playboy's iron suit, its practicality was beyond reproach.

Despite the bulky modular external armor that made Phil Coulson look somewhat "big and strong," his movements could be described as "nimble as a hare."

Not only could he move normally in the uninhabitable environment of Venus, but the armor's defensive capabilities were also quite good.

It could withstand attacks from small-caliber weapons and even defend against medium and large weapons like missiles.

Combined with the versatile external modules, such as portable thrusters and multi-functional electromagnetic Gauss rifles, it indeed made Nick Fury very satisfied.

However, compared to the Mjolnir power armor, the S.H.I.E.L.D. director was more interested in the base established on Venus.

Joking aside, no matter how good the power armor was, it didn't exceed Nick Fury's expectations.

But the technology that allowed the spaceship to travel from Earth to Venus in just over two hours and the ability to establish a base on a terrestrial planet like Venus were far more valuable than the Mjolnir power armor.

If S.H.I.E.L.D., or rather, himself, could master this technology and power, he could ensure a safe retreat whenever needed.

Unfortunately, no matter how Nick Fury tried to pry, he couldn't get any information from a certain person.

The two-hour practical exercise ended quickly thanks to Phil Coulson's enthusiastic "performance." As a user, Phil Coulson was even more satisfied with the Mjolnir power armor than Nick Fury.

"Nick, you've received the items, and I'm sure you know the value of the additional items."

"I hope you don't disappoint me." Liu Ruian said with a smile after the two finished their discussion.

"Don't worry, Liu. I'll lend you the Cosmic Cube, but you can only study it on Earth." Nick Fury reminded him, not foolish enough to let the Cosmic Cube leave Earth.

"That's fine. If you're not comfortable, I can even study it in your lab." Liu Ruian shrugged, having anticipated this response.

Seeing that the matter was settled and staying longer wouldn't bring any more benefits, Nick Fury proposed leaving.

Citing his own business, Liu Ruian didn't accompany them but sent the two and the sample Mjolnir power armors back to Earth with the spaceship.

After the spaceship disappeared into the starry sky, Skye, dressed in a close-fitting combat suit, walked out.

"Huotian, weren't you afraid of any problems by bringing them here?" Skye asked, walking up to him.

"Skye, are you worried that S.H.I.E.L.D. will discover my interstellar colonization capabilities and take action?" Liu Ruian turned to look at her and smiled.

"Isn't that the case?" Skye countered, well aware of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s methods.

Liu Ruian, understanding her concern, explained with a smile, "In the past, I wouldn't have done this. But now, Nick and his team are too busy to pay attention to me."

"Besides, even if they did, what could they do? Could they come here to deal with me?"

"Even if they did, it wouldn't matter. It's just a forward base. If it's destroyed, so be it."

"With my current capabilities, I can establish new forward bases on other planets or even in space at any time."

"Moreover, showing them my strength can save some unnecessary trouble."

"I see." Skye nodded.

However, she knew the situation wouldn't be that simple, but since Liu Ruian didn't say more, she didn't press further.

But one thing was certain: he wouldn't pose any threat to Earth.

It wasn't because of emotional bias, but because Liu Ruian had already ventured into space.

With the technology he possessed, he could develop his own planet. It would be foolish to limit his ambitions to Earth.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have established forward bases on Venus and Mercury, which were primarily for development and research.

He could have easily created a large mechanized army, which would have allowed him to at least establish a country on Earth, if not unify it.

Feeling her thoughts, Liu Ruian had to admit that she was a top hacker in the Rising Tide organization and would have been recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. if he hadn't appeared.

While he hadn't completely revealed his plans to her, at least his intention not to be an ambitious figure on Earth was correct.

Joking aside, even in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Earth was just Earth.

There were countless life-bearing planets in the galaxy, let alone the entire universe.

Moreover, even if there were no life-bearing planets, they could be artificially created.

Instead of fighting over the small benefits on Earth, it was better to set his sights on the vast starry sea.

With the Cosmic Cube about to be in his hands and knowing that his "iron body" was still weak, Liu Ruian didn't waste any more time.

After spending two game days in the virtual world of "Lost in the Stars" and commenting on her recent in-game activities, he boarded a shuttle and headed to the forward base on Mercury.

With a 10:1 time flow rate, only about five hours had passed outside.

On the way, Liu Ruian changed into the Kryptonian armor and, upon reaching Mercury, didn't go to the forward base but directly teleported toward the sun.

After basking in the sun for nearly a week, Liu Ruian, who had been floating in the sun's orbit, received a notification from the Starling that S.H.I.E.L.D. had prepared to hand over the Cosmic Cube.

Although it had been less than half a month, Liu Ruian clearly felt stronger.

This strength wasn't just in the "iron body" category, with enhanced super strength, super speed, and heat vision, but also in his mental abilities.

After returning to Earth and resting for a day, Liu Ruian, accompanied by Phil Coulson, headed to the Cosmic Cube research base.

As expected, the research base was on the same island as the beginning of "The Avengers."

...

I have some family matters to attend to, so I'm taking a half-day off. There will only be one update today. Please understand.

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