Chapter Twelve: The Lich King Enjoys Double the Pleasure

While Roald basked in the warmth of the winter sun, Agent Coulson returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. with a heart weighed down by a blizzard.

“Director, this is a detailed account of everything that happened today.”

Having listened to the report from his most capable subordinate, Nick Fury’s expression shifted for the third time that day. His face, already dark, now gleamed with a peculiar brightness.

“Tell me your thoughts, Coulson. And what about that elf by his side—do you have any recommendations?”

Emerging from the grief of losing a substantial sum of money, Fury reasoned that while money could always be earned again, Roald’s intelligence was of immediate importance.

“As I analyzed earlier, Director: this man may be guilty of murder and cover-up, possesses means of evading criminal charges, appears harmless yet is in fact extremely dangerous—a mutant, but we lack compelling evidence. He disregards the law, acts with a self-centered disposition, and has behind him a force we cannot ignore; yet still, we don’t have enough proof.”

Naturally, even with sufficient evidence, there would be little they could do against someone like Roald—such downbeat remarks were wisely withheld by Coulson, who didn’t want another deduction from his year-end bonus.

Everything depended on his director’s own insight. This was Coulson’s subtle act of rebellion against the injustice of salary cuts.

Recalling all the profiling and deductions concerning Roald, Coulson, though their encounter had been brief, drew out several insights from Roald’s behavior and psychological factors. Despite the unpleasant meeting, he analyzed the problem with complete objectivity, as any professional agent would.

“Good. That matches closely with my own analysis,” Fury nodded, satisfied with Coulson’s professionalism. “From his actions, do you discern any special tendencies?”

“No. Throughout, he remained composed, even arrogant, as if everything was under his control—as though he knew much about us,” Coulson replied. “Moreover, I believe he’s capable of things we cannot predict. At present, we know nothing about him, which is our greatest disadvantage.”

A glint flashed in Fury’s solitary eye—the kind of filth every tactician possesses.

“An insider?”

“Or is he truly a branch member of Hydra?”

Even if it was mere speculation, Fury felt fully justified in his suspicions.

If the other party’s every move was so effortless, it could only mean he believed he held enough cards to fear nothing; S.H.I.E.L.D. posed no threat, and his intelligence and power emboldened him to act.

Or perhaps he knew S.H.I.E.L.D.’s real secrets, and even those S.H.I.E.L.D. itself was unaware of?

This realization struck Fury, who even wondered if Roald had deliberately appeared at the scene to draw S.H.I.E.L.D.’s attention and set a trap.

Everything seemed a bit too coincidental.

How could a random journalist turn out to be Spider-Man?

And that strange method of pulling people from afar, coupled with the biologist Dr. Osborne, seemed unrelated but were tightly connected, like strands in a vast web.

As an agent, Fury’s mind raced with possibilities.

“In your conversation, how did Spider-Man respond to you?” Fury pressed on, offering examples: “Arrogance, disdain, sharp words—how does he differ from that enthusiastic citizen extorting others?”

“He’s a chatterbox,” Coulson replied earnestly. “He really is a chatterbox. His attitude was neither good nor bad—just the typical reaction you’d expect from a New Yorker facing an authority. He always spoke to us as an equal, but his gaze seemed to conceal something, as if his family’s opinions mattered more to him than ours.”

Upon hearing this, Fury fell silent for a long moment before he spoke. “Very well. Then we’ll start with his family. If there’s enough value, given his actions, he could be added to my list.”

“What list?” Coulson asked without thinking.

“A candidate list for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s special team dealing with superhuman abilities,” Fury glanced at his most trusted subordinate. “You’d have learned of it sooner or later. The plan is ready, all that’s left is to select the members.”

“Like the Hulk,” Fury suddenly remarked. “If guided correctly, I believe he could become our greatest asset.”

“Hulk? You mean the green giant who inflicted such heavy losses on General Ross’s troops?”

“Yes. Though the military concealed much, we managed to uncover some facts. Ross suffered a major defeat at his hands, just as in those videos,” Fury handed Coulson a terminal device. “Conventional weapons seem useless against him, but fortunately he just wanted to escape, so the damage wasn’t catastrophic. If we provide him a stable environment, I think he’ll be easy to control.”

At this point, Fury changed his tone abruptly.

“I plan to send Natasha—she’s the best at guiding emotions,” he narrowed his eyes, “and today’s events have made me realize we urgently need a Hulk.”

...

...

Inside the café, Roald had taught Spider-Man how to become a headline-making genius, how to make his news more impactful. Watching Peter Parker leave with a cheerful spring in his step, Roald’s smile grew ever more sinister.

Though Peter Parker was still a child, the great Lich King had no intention of sparing him.

Such excellent material shouldn’t go to waste. During their conversation, Roald had Erica use her control to gather some things.

“Erica, have you finished collecting?”

“Of course, boss—I’m the most professional,” Erica replied, holding a bright red orb and some of Peter Parker’s hair, grinning with satisfaction.

“Good. Let’s go print a card—today we must produce a golden legend.”

For anyone who played cards, printing your own on the spot was common practice. With several successful experiences behind him, this was hardly a challenge for Roald.

Returning to his antique shop, Roald headed straight to the basement, retrieving the blood and hair collected from Peter Parker.

Step one: select a base card, then grind the soul crystal extracted by Frostmourne into powder.

Mix the powdered soul crystal with Erica’s fresh blood as the foundation, stir thoroughly, and spread it evenly over the card’s surface.

Step two: after Erica’s blood is evenly applied, drip Spider-Man’s blood onto it, creating a card face with a spider motif—a preliminary success.

Step three: use [Dark Infusion], pouring a massive amount of soul energy into the card. It took nearly seven soul crystals to fill the card with energy, which now emitted a blue glow.

After the blood-based foundation, Roald placed Spider-Man’s hair onto the card for an extra touch.

This meant the card would carry some spider-like traits.

For instance: shooting webs, agility, or perhaps a form of danger sense.

Other items representing different individuals could be added, but so far Roald had only encountered Spider-Man, so he could only take advantage of him.

As Peter Parker’s hair was gradually consumed by the flames of [Dark Infusion], a golden radiance burst forth from the card.

A golden legend!

Seeing the familiar glow, Roald stopped, satisfied.

From preparing the materials to completing the card, the process had not taken long. The only real cost was collecting the materials and the soul crystals.

When the golden light faded, Roald found before him a legendary card that required six energy to sustain.

Picking it up, he saw the spider motif had transformed: now there was an image of a dark elf with limbs like spider appendages.

[Lich Broodmother]

[Effect: Enemies must attack her mirror minions, which possess lifesteal, raid, and web-weaving poison abilities.]

[Description: The family has grown, so my temper has too.]

Lifesteal belonged originally to Erica, raid and web-weaving likely stemmed from the spider traits, and as for the mirror minions, Roald was unsure of their origin.

Mirror meant duplication—he hoped Erica wouldn’t duplicate Peter’s incessant chatter.

“Boss, is this for me?” Erica’s eyes sparkled as she saw the golden card.

“Of course,” Roald replied, handing the card to her.

Erica absorbed the new card, and soon two identical dark elves with spider appendages appeared in the room.

Roald propped his chin on his hand.

He felt he had gained double the joy.