Chapter Seventy-Seven: Mental Corruption

If the data had been filtered, Atanis believed it would be exceedingly difficult to find what he sought amid the vast ocean of information. But if the data had never been collected at all, that would mean the power of the Dark God had already begun to influence the governance of Midgard.

In the first scenario, Atanis would have no choice but to rally his subordinates to continuously analyze the data in the coming days. In the second, however, he would be utterly powerless to resolve the situation.

Even if plunged into a full state of war, the Protoss Empire could not directly interfere with the internal affairs of another nation’s government, for doing so would make them no different from the Dark God. Yet, as cunning and ruthless as the Dark God was, countless civilizations were bound to fall under his sway. This was a matter frequently debated in the Council, yet no consensus had been reached.

To allow it to continue unchecked would mean many lives would be corrupted, ultimately becoming sacrifices to the darkness. But direct intervention would necessitate taking over another nation’s political system, which implied annexation and war—both contrary to the Protoss Empire’s policies and the very nature of the Protoss people.

Shaking his head, Atanis sighed softly. As a bishop-in-training, he had direct access to these crucial national policies, and thus he hoped this was merely the first scenario. Otherwise, the Council of Light and Shadow might have to convene an emergency meeting in hyperspace.

It was well known that since the Council’s headquarters moved to the Divine Realm, meetings took place in two locations. If the matter was not severe, the Council met in the Divine Realm, and discussions often lasted several months. But if urgent, they would return to the Council Hall in Ael for deliberation. There was a third option—meetings in hyperspace—which were only used in the direst of emergencies. In such cases, members of the Council would enter hyperspace, accelerate the flow of time there, so that even if only a few minutes passed outside, the Council could conclude its discussions swiftly.

Snapping back to the present, Atanis summoned Vora Zun and Selendis to inform them of the abnormal data. The three quickly divided the work and began analyzing the filtered information. Atanis could only hope to uncover some anomaly within.

...

Hilar received a reassignment: he was to report to the Avengers Tower and liaise with the Avengers. This news thrilled him to no end, especially since he harbored a secret crush on one of them. He had long pondered how to get closer to his beloved, and now, unexpectedly, the chance had come swiftly—he felt truly blessed by the heavens.

Soon, with all formalities completed, Hilar arrived alone at Avengers Tower. Before coming, he had already heard from colleagues about Tony Stark’s notoriously difficult temper. They believed Hilar would be just like the others—soon chased away by Stark. Aside from Coulson, few had lasted a week with him.

With a heart full of nervous anticipation, Hilar finally met the legendary, difficult-to-please Iron Man, Tony Stark. To his surprise, Stark did not treat him harshly as others had warned. Instead, he gave Hilar a cryptic glance before assigning him a room downstairs.

Tony told Hilar his job was simply to do whatever Tony asked, though usually, he wouldn’t need to do much since J.A.R.V.I.S. was the one who flawlessly executed Tony’s commands.

Puzzled, Hilar suppressed his growing anxiety and returned to his quarters, completely unaware of the grave expression Tony wore once he turned away.

Why had Tony asked Fury to transfer Hilar to his side? Because during the journey back from the Antarctic, Qu Yizhi’s memories had slowly begun to resurface after prolonged battles with Shuggus.

Several hours earlier, after Tony and his companions safely exited the spatial portal, Shuggus’s tentacles—on the verge of breaking through—were halted by Captain America’s shield. Unable to breach the final defense, Shuggus let out a haunting wail.

Tony handed the shield, now scratched and marked, back to Steve, saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll give it a good repaint when we get back—make it look brand new.”

Steve took the shield, fondly touching the unpainted center. When he first received it, the shield bore no decoration, but later, the military had designed a full suit of armor tailored for him, with this shield as part of it.

“Miss Qu, how are you feeling?” Dr. Banner’s voice interrupted Steve’s reminiscences, drawing everyone’s attention to Qu Yizhi.

“I’m fine, just recalling some things,” Qu Yizhi said softly, pressing her right hand to her temple. Her pale face was devoid of color, appearing quite weak.

“Are you okay, Yizhi?” Natasha asked with concern, steadying her. Stark instructed J.A.R.V.I.S. to scan Qu Yizhi’s vital signs.

Taking a deep breath, Qu Yizhi lowered her hand, seeming to regain strength. J.A.R.V.I.S.’s report of normal readings eased Tony’s tense heart.

Qu Yizhi smiled faintly at Natasha, nodding, then addressed the others who had shown concern. “I just remembered something that you all might find very important.”

“What is it?” Steve asked, seeing she appeared alright. After all, her previous recovered memory had granted her the power to control ice and snow. What would this new memory bring?

“After our battle with Shuggus ended, we saw a mural on the wall, and part of my memory was restored,” Qu Yizhi said, pointing to the mural. The group frowned.

They had previously entered that space through this mural, but after exiting, the mural no longer responded to them. Could there be a secret here as well?

Qu Yizhi continued, “Shuggus was corrupted by an evil god even before its birth, and that evil god is the one the Bureau obtained earlier.”

“Are you saying the evil god statue the S.H.I.E.L.D. Bureau acquired is the very one that corrupted Shuggus?” Natasha’s voice rose in surprise. She herself had nearly come into direct contact with that statue and suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

Qu Yizhi nodded. “In my memory, I once saw a mural depicting the evil god corrupting Shuggus. But before I could see the god’s face, someone stopped me. That person told me that anything directly associated with the evil god—including its name and murals—carries spiritual contamination. Without protection, one cannot view them directly.”

She paused, then looked apologetically at the others. “The reason I recognized it as the same statue is because that person cast a protective spell on me. I feel I should be able to do the same, but I haven’t yet remembered how.”