With thousands of shareholders in Stark Industries, all of whom had a vested interest, Luke Lane could win just by lying down if each of them contributed a mere 0.01 shock points.
“System, open a Bronze Chest to test my luck.”
With plenty of points to spare, Luke Lane was exceptionally generous with his spending.
According to the system’s settings:
A Black Iron Chest required 1,000 shock points, dropping E-grade cards or basic items;
A Bronze Chest started at 10,000, containing D-grade cards and practical equipment;
A Silver Chest had a threshold of 100,000, rewarding C-grade cards, B-grade fragments, and high-tier items;
A Gold Chest started at 1,000,000, containing B-grade cards, A-grade fragments, and random powerful items;
A Star-Glory Chest required 10,000,000 shock points, unlocking full A-grade cards, S-grade fragments, and exclusive limited items.
As soon as he spoke, a chest gleaming with a dull, greyish-metallic luster slowly emerged in the center of the system interface.
“Open.”
A flash of white light erupted as the chest lid popped open.
[Obtained: Vajra Talisman × 5] [Effect: Covers the body in golden light, temporarily increasing physical resistance significantly (pseudo)] [Description: Crafted by an apprentice talisman maker from a certain cultivation world. Its defensive boost is limited, but it is enough to survive a critical three seconds.]
***
[D-Grade Seven-Star Card: Lu Xiaofeng] [Skills: Phoenix Dance of the Nine Heavens, Lingxi Finger] [Description: The core protagonist of the “Lu Xiaofeng Legend” series.
Known in the martial world as the “Four Eyebrows,” he possesses superb martial arts, unmatched adaptability, a love for meddling in others’ business, an addiction to wine, a lustful and uninhibited nature, and skin as thick as a city wall.] [Note: Please do not call him “Little Chick Lu.”]
“Not bad luck at all.”
Luke Lane raised an eyebrow and smiled, capitalizing on his momentum.
“System, open another Silver Chest.”
Another blast of white light erupted.
[Obtained: Sadako’s Videotape] [Effect: Anyone who watches this tape will inevitably meet their doom within seven days] [Description: Originating from “The Ring.” After the young girl Sadako was murdered by her biological father and thrown down a well, her raw resentment condensed into a curse.
Anyone who watches this tape cannot escape misfortune.] [Note: Ring, ring… the phone is ringing.
Do you dare to pick up?]
***
[Obtained: B-Grade Card Fragment × 1] [Effect: Used for synthesis] [Description: Fragment of an unknown B-grade card. Collect five fragments to synthesize a brand-new card.]
***
[C-Grade Six-Star Card: En Oyashiro] [Skills: Ninjutsu · Blood Dragon Eye] [Description: A character from “Naruto Shippuden.” His clan, the Chinoike, was a sworn enemy of the Uchiha clan for generations.
Once awakened, clan members can activate the Blood Dragon Eye.
This dōjutsu not only grants exceptional mastery over genjutsu but also allows the user to manipulate blood as a medium to cast various bizarre and devastating secret techniques.] [Note: For my wife, I am willing to slaughter my entire clan.]
“Decent.”
With a casual wave of his hand, Luke Lane watched as the cards of En Oyashiro and Lu Xiaofeng transformed into two streaks of light and merged into his body.
The power inside him surged wildly once more.
As a sudden thought flashed through his mind, his fingers flew in a rapid sequence of hand seals.
“Shadow Clone Technique!”
Puffs of white smoke rose, and two identical clones materialized, standing firmly beside him.
“Let’s test if this plan is actually viable first.”
Luke Lane pulled out the cards for Lu Xiaofeng and Bai Yifei, flicking them with his fingers.
The two cards sank into the chests of the two clones.
With a slight shimmer of light and shadow, the clones instantly changed their appearances.
One wore crimson robes and had silver hair like frost, his brow carrying an air of cold elegance and oppressive power.
The other wore snow-white robes, with two mustaches neatly trimmed to look exactly like his eyebrows.
He was the living image of the “Four Eyebrows,” wearing a lazy and sly smile on his face.
“This is getting more and more interesting.”
Luke Lane’s eyes shone bright.
He smiled, cupped his hands, and said aloud, “Luke Lane.”
“Lu Xiaofeng.”
The man in white returned the gesture lazily, the corner of his mouth curving into an incredibly relaxed smile.
“Bai Yifei.”
The silver-haired man in red chuckled softly, his smile deep and enigmatic, both poisonous and charming.
***
“Mphf! Mphf!”
In a quiet men’s restroom, Tony Stark was bound tightly to a toilet, his body writhing desperately.
Thud, thud, thud.
The sound of footsteps approached.
A burly man in a tight tank top pushed the door open.
“Sounds like there’s someone in here?”
Hansen tilted his head to listen, then walked straight to the door of Tony’s stall.
Bang, bang!
Tony used all his strength to bash against the door, making a muffled noise.
“Someone inside?”
Hansen frowned and pushed the door.
Locked?
He scratched the back of his head, took half a step back, dropped his shoulder, and slammed hard into the door.
Crash!
Crash!
After a few violent impacts, the wooden door hung askew and fell off, revealing a disheveled Tony inside.
“Mr. Stark! Hello! I’m your biggest fan!”
Seeing who it was, Hansen’s eyes lit up.
He hurriedly pulled the cloth out of Tony’s mouth.
Tony gasped heavily.
“Thanks, buddy.”
“While you’re at it, untie these ropes too.”
“I’ll give you as many autographs as you want, and the reward will be incredibly generous.”
“Money? I don’t care about that.” Hansen looked around to make sure no one was there, the smile on his face slowly twisting.
“I told you,”
“I’m your most die-hard fan.”
Before he finished speaking, he lunged forward like a starving tiger.
“Are you serious?!”
Seeing the burly man pouncing, Tony’s face instantly turned pale.
For the first time, he realized that being too popular was really not a good thing.
Just as Hansen eagerly tore open Tony’s shirt and frantically loosened the knot,
Tony slammed his head down, a solid headbutt striking the man’s nose.
Immediately after, he threw a vicious elbow into the man’s ribs.
Hansen didn’t even groan before slumping to the ground.
“Good thing I trained with Happy for a few weeks.”
Tony let out a long sigh of relief, his heart still pounding.
The mere thought of almost being forcibly kissed made his scalp crawl.
“You’re finished, Joker.”
At the thought of the mastermind, Luke Lane, Tony grit his teeth, his knuckles cracking.
Twenty minutes later.
A black business van pulled up by the deserted roadside.
Pepper Potts, her blonde hair gleaming, quickly stepped down from the vehicle.
The moment she saw Tony standing by the road, she let out a massive sigh of relief.
“Thank God.”
“Tony, it’s so good to see you’re okay!”
“Pepper, of course I’m okay.”
Tony shrugged, playing it cool.
There was no way in hell he would ever let Pepper know he had been tied to a toilet and nearly assaulted.
Walking up behind her was a middle-aged man in a sharp suit, his hairline slightly receding.
He wore a gentle smile as he extended his hand toward Tony.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Stark.”
“Agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division.”
“I don’t care which division you’re with, I don’t have time for this right now.”
Tony didn’t even look at the extended hand as he turned and walked toward the car.
“Tony.”
Pepper grabbed his wrist, leaning in to whisper, “Agent Coulson has been doing everything he can to find you ever since you went missing.”
“Fine.”
Giving Pepper face, Tony stopped, turned around, and said, “Ten minutes, Agent Coulson. Speak your mind.”
“Of course.”
Coulson’s smile remained calm, his pace of speech steady.
“Mr. Stark, according to our intelligence, the person who kidnapped and impersonated you possesses unconventional abilities. Could you please describe what happened in detail?”
“He’s a loud-mouthed, psychotic bastard with ridiculous clown makeup on his face.”
Tony narrowed his eyes, his tone dripping with disgust.
“He can change his face. Right before my eyes, he turned into me.”
“He can also summon a bunch of… things like sakura ninjas out of thin air. They didn’t look like living people at all, and they could phase through walls in a strange space.”
“A strange space?” Coulson frowned slightly.
“Pitch black. It wasn’t a solid physical space, but it wasn’t pure emptiness either. Extremely eerie.”
Tony’s throat tightened slightly as he recalled the experience.
It had been freezing, dead silent, and filled with a darkness so thick it felt tangible.
Every single second had felt like being tortured in an ice cave.
“Understood.”
Coulson nodded calmly, then asked, “Did this Joker reveal his motive? Why did he kidnap you and impersonate you?”
Tony pursed his lips, his expression turning dark.
“He said… just for fun.”
***
[Shock points from Tony Stark +500]
[Shock points from Phil Coulson +400]
[Shock points from Pepper Potts +300]
[Shock points from Nick Fury +200]
***
Inside Madame Gao’s factory, the system notifications rang in Luke Lane’s ears one after another, causing him to raise his eyebrows.
Currently, he stood in the form of the Blood-Clad Marquess, standing in the center of the hall, looking down coldly at the four people kneeling on the ground.
“Some people only learn through force.”
He glanced at the other four leaders of The Hand, whose faces were bruised and swollen and whose heads were covered in sweat, and pulled four wriggling Gu bugs from his sleeve.
“Now, choose.”
“Life.”
“Or death.”
The four leaders of The Hand kneeling on the ground exchanged glances, none of them daring to be the first to stand.
The power displayed by the Blood-Clad Marquess, Bai Yifei, was too terrifying.
They kept their breathing incredibly shallow, terrified of causing even the slightest ripple.
What was even more troublesome was that the Dragon Bone, which allowed people to rise from the dead, had already been completely depleted.
The ancient power they relied on for longevity was rapidly draining from their bodies.
This was their weakest, most vulnerable moment.
“Lord Blood-Clad, we are willing to serve you as our master.”
After a brief, dead silence, Murakami, who held the most prestige, was the first to bow his head and speak.
“We are willing to serve you as our master.”
The other three quickly echoed, their voices low and uniform.
“Then swallow these Gu bugs.”
Luke Lane nodded slightly, his tone calm.
The four turned pale but didn’t dare to hesitate.
They reached out, took the wriggling black insects, closed their eyes, and swallowed them.
“With the Gu in your internal organs, I hold your lifelines in my hands.”
“Put out any ideas you might have right now.”
When he said “ideas,” Luke Lane’s gaze slowly drifted over to Madame Gao.
This old woman had actively led Murakami and the other three here.
She might not have been above trying to use a borrowed knife to kill them all and reap the benefits herself.
“We wouldn’t dare.”
“May I ask, Lord Blood-Clad, what services do you require of us?”
Madame Gao lowered her eyes, her posture humble and her tone submissive.
Luke Lane thought for a moment and directly ordered, “I want a batch of sacrifices.”
“Go capture some pureblood vampires.”
“This…”
Madame Gao’s brow furrowed slightly, a look of difficulty on her face.
The vampire clan had always been difficult to deal with.
Relying on their gift of immortality, they had many powerful figures backing them.
Their foundation in New York was even deeper and more stable than that of The Hand.
“You can’t do it?”
Luke Lane tilted his head, his smile devoid of any warmth.
Madame Gao’s spine stiffened.
She immediately realized there was no room for negotiation and hurriedly bowed.
“Your subordinate will see to it immediately.”
[Shock points from Daredevil, Matt Murdock +200]
Just as Luke Lane was about to pressure them a bit more, the system notification suddenly chimed in his ear.
So Daredevil was squatting outside, eavesdropping.
The corners of his mouth turned up in a meaningful smile.
He knew very well: this Daredevil had lost his sight after coming into contact with radioactive material, but this had instead honed his hearing, touch, and intuition to levels far beyond ordinary people.
Having trained under the blind master Stick, he was a sharp lawyer by day and New York’s vigilante protector of the night, making him a long-time enemy of The Hand.
After personally wiping out Madame Gao’s faction, Luke Lane had seized the opportunity to take over the entire organization, becoming its new helmsman.
With this in mind, Luke Lane looked up at the leaders standing before him with bowed heads and said softly, “Someone has arrived. Go greet them.”
“Oh no!”
Crouching by the base of the wall, Matt’s face paled instantly as he took off running.