Chapter 54: Eliminating Hidden Dangers

Qu Yi-zhi was sitting upright on the bed, savoring her coffee in small sips. After she awoke, Miss Natasha had explained many things she hadn't known, and also shared her own experiences with her. However, for reasons unknown, Qu Yi-zhi’s memory was left with only fragments. All she could recall was that she seemed to have come to this unfamiliar land carrying out some kind of mission; as for her previous identity, she knew nothing at all.

After several hours of discussion, Tony and his group finally accepted her explanation. Although they remained properly cautious, it was indeed highly likely she had lost her memory. It was frustrating, but the trail of clues had run cold.

"Mr. Stark, is there something you need?" Qu Yi-zhi turned her head to look at the man entering her room. Although her memory was incomplete, during her conversations with Natasha, it was discovered that she could speak English. So, from then on, they used English to communicate.

Driven by curiosity, Natasha made another discovery during their exchanges—Qu Yi-zhi possessed an extraordinary talent: universal language comprehension. Qu Yi-zhi could understand the meaning of any spoken language and communicate with others. At first, Natasha thought she might have learned these languages before, but the oddity was that Qu Yi-zhi could neither write nor read any written script. This anomaly caught Natasha’s attention.

In subsequent tests, Natasha had Jarvis collect samples of many rare languages from around the world. The conclusion was that Qu Yi-zhi did not truly know these languages but directly grasped their intended meanings. When she relayed messages, she conveyed the meaning itself. There was, however, one requirement: the person communicating with her had to be intending to express a specific meaning.

For example, if Natasha did not know English and simply repeated a recording, Qu Yi-zhi would not understand the content. But if Natasha knew what she wanted to say—even if she said "blah blah blah"—Qu Yi-zhi would comprehend and reply accordingly.

Because of Qu Yi-zhi's memory loss, the group simply named this ability "universal language." Tony, inspired by this, conceived the idea of creating a universal decoder. If successful, it would solve communication with aliens and even allow the mute to speak. Unfortunately, Tony had yet to uncover the principle behind Qu Yi-zhi’s ability, and the experiments had yielded no useful progress.

“Miss Qu Yi-zhi, there’s no need to be so formal—you can call me Tony.” After knocking, Tony entered the room and smiled gently at her. It was a privilege he reserved for beauties—even if her true age might surpass the “old popsicle”—for he always enjoyed the appreciation of beauty.

“I came uninvited this time to discuss a secretive church organization with you. I wonder if you have any memory of this symbol.” With a wave of his hand, Tony projected into the air the carving found on the door when they entered the basement.

Previously, they had refrained from directly questioning her about the cult, as Qu Yi-zhi seemed to have amnesia and some unexplored abilities. Only after getting to know her a bit did Tony broach the subject.

“What is this?” Qu Yi-zhi’s pupils contracted sharply. Seeing the strange pattern, fragmented images flashed in her mind, forcing her to clutch her head.

The cup hit the floor, shattering and sending coffee and glass shards flying. Tony, ignoring the stains on his custom-made suit, hurried forward to steady the trembling Qu Yi-zhi.

“Natasha, come quickly! Qu Yi-zhi is having an episode!” Tony’s face was grave as he helped her lie back on the bed. They had discussed the possibility that she might react to these symbols, but had not anticipated such a severe response.

Natasha soon arrived and examined Qu Yi-zhi, who had once again fallen unconscious.

“Miss Qu Yi-zhi appears to have suffered a shock. Her physical data is all normal. We can only wait for her to wake on her own,” Natasha concluded after a thorough check, assisted by Stark Industries’ advanced equipment.

The Avengers gathered there, tense and remorseful upon learning that Qu Yi-zhi had fainted again.

“All right, gentlemen, now is not the time for guilt. Remember, we know nothing about the Old God forces, and Miss Qu Yi-zhi is our only lead. It was only a matter of time before she encountered these things,” Natasha said as she left Qu Yi-zhi’s room, trying to comfort the silent group in the lounge.

Steve frowned. As a soldier accustomed to loss on the battlefield, he nevertheless disagreed with Natasha’s methods. However, this was not the time for debate, especially with the person concerned still unconscious.

“When will she wake up?” Barton asked, frowning. Since learning of the Old God incident, his instincts told him it was extremely dangerous. He had postponed several missions to stay in the tower.

“I can’t say,” Natasha sighed. “But she’s likely organizing her memories, so there’s no need for excessive worry.”

...

Since returning from the ocean depths, Ayer had kept a close watch on the Hydra base in the Bermuda Triangle. Hydra’s existence was no secret to him, and it was one reason he worried about Midgard’s future. If he had not descended as a god to Midgard, the God of Darkness would surely have taken control of Hydra, and through them, the world’s governments.

But now that he was present on Midgard, Hydra could only serve as cannon fodder. Ayer was even content to see them turn to the forces of darkness. Previously, no matter how much Hydra stirred, it was merely a human faction, and any conflict was an internal matter—hence why the Ancient One and Odin never intervened.

However, once Hydra became a proper vassal of the Old Gods, they ceased to be merely a human affair and became enemies of all life. Whether it was the Star Spirit Empire or Asgard, intervention became necessary and justified.

As the saying goes, the moment disaster descends is also the moment the magic mirror is unveiled—monsters and demons will all reveal themselves. Eliminating these threats would not only remove hidden dangers but also serve as a warning to human forces. After all, among humans there are always those willing to betray their kind for personal gain, and such people would inevitably be drawn to the God of Darkness.