Chapter Eleven: The Long Road Ahead

Back at his fried chicken shop, Lynn noted that it wasn't open today. He figured he likely wouldn't be running the shop again; after all, his financial situation had undergone a seismic shift overnight. Although he didn't have much cash on hand, he was effectively no longer a pauper.

Daken, that fellow, had a surprisingly vast business empire. Most of the bars, dance clubs, and various high-end social clubs across New York's neighborhoods were under his purview. Yet, he seemed to focus solely on those aspects, showing no interest in expanding into other sectors.

"It seems his heart is truly set on the Darkhold; he barely touches the rest of his industry."

Considering Daken's own ambitions, this didn't seem entirely unrealistic. Clutching the page of the Darkhold in his hand, Lynn felt vague whispers beginning to echo in his mind, as if tempting him to find a suitable moment to read the text.

Now was not the time. He needed to find the right moment and ensure he could handle the object under safe conditions.

Chthon was an entity of pure malice, a dark god with whom there could be no compromise—one was either his slave or his enemy. While Lynn was intrigued by the magical forces of this world, engaging with the Darkhold in such a manner was clearly not a wise idea.

"Lynn?"

Jessica's voice pulled Lynn back from his wandering thoughts.

"You're back?"

"You really didn't leave."

"I..."

Lynn walked into the shop and patted her head, then continued, "You probably won't be able to find your foster parents. I went to your house; it’s been abandoned for a long time. I suspect Kilgrave did something—your foster parents are likely dead."

Lynn said it bluntly.

"I mean, is there any possibility they’re still alive?"

"It’s possible, since I didn't find their bodies. But now that Kilgrave is dead, finding out where they went won't be easy. Alright, let's head to the police station."

"Mm..."

"Wait here for me; I'll go get the car."

***

Meanwhile, in Washington D.C.

"Phil, is there any result on the matter?"

"Melinda and I went to New York, but we didn't find any issues. There was no trace of that momentary high-energy reaction. In short, Director, there is no intelligence worth noting."

"Did the vampires cause any trouble?"

"Overall, it seems 'Blade' simply sparked some internal conflict among the vampires. Beyond that, there is nothing noteworthy."

"Hmm..."

Fury rubbed his chin, staring at the rising sun, lost in thought. Coulson, however, clearly had his own concerns. He tossed a file onto Fury's desk and said, with a hint of worry, "Director, Tony Stark’s situation doesn't look good. He’s been captured by the Ten Rings. Do you really think he can build a super-weapon in a cave?"

"Phil, you still don't understand Tony Stark. He is Howard's son. That old man left him a puzzle that no one has been able to solve to this day. If he can't get out of that situation, then he isn't Tony Stark."

"I..."

"It’s fine. If he truly can't escape on his own, I will find a way. For now, put aside the Stark matter and investigate the vampires in New York. I have a lingering feeling that something isn't right."

"Understood, Director."

Fury nodded, and Coulson walked out. As he stood at the door, he saw Agent Hill preparing to enter—the timing was perfect.

"Good morning, Agent Hill."

"Melinda is waiting for you outside, Coulson."

Brushing past Coulson, Hill stood before Fury.

"There are intense energy fluctuations in Mexico. Also, the relationship between the Academy and the military seems to be deteriorating further..."

Fury rubbed his bald head, covered his face with his hand, took a deep breath, and said to Hill, "Tell me, can you give me some good news and save the bad for later?"

"Oscorp just drove a scientist insane in New York. He turned into a humanoid lizard and went on a rampage. Fortunately, there weren't many casualties; Spider-Man did a good job."

"Hill."

"?"

"Go get some breakfast first. Our cafeteria’s food isn't bad."

***

"What kind of breakfast do you like?"

"Egg and toast."

"Probably can't get that. There's a sandwich shop ahead; let's settle for that."

"Never mind then. I ate fried chicken at your shop."

"Don't be envious when I'm eating later; I'm not sharing."

Lynn had already rolled down the car window, propping his cheek on one hand as he watched the busy crowds on the bridge ahead. Traffic seemed to be jammed; the sound of car horns was incessant, and several tow trucks were working ahead.

Several wrecked cars were being slowly moved to the side of the road. Many drivers around were shouting, sounding as if they had been stuck there for quite a while, nearly late for work.

However, Lynn was in a good mood. He vaguely remembered this scene from his memories; perhaps he would soon see the dirt provided to J.J.J. on the news.

Lynn could almost imagine his phrasing:

"That insidious, vicious Spider-Man is once again disrupting the safety and order of New York, staging a self-directed idol drama with a green lizard monster!"

Without external interference, that was likely how the news would sound.

Soon, just as Lynn had expected, the morning news began to broadcast, though it was slightly different from what he had imagined.

"Rumors suggest that due to poor management at Oscorp, a biochemical disaster occurred, causing significant damage in New York City last night..."

The news was filled with condemnation of Oscorp, as if someone had deliberately orchestrated it. It was unclear who had seized hold of Oscorp's dirty laundry.

Lynn switched through several radio stations, but without exception, they were all attacking Oscorp; they might as well have been saying Oscorp wanted to destroy New York. Curiously, almost no one mentioned Spider-Man.

"Is someone deliberately manipulating public opinion?"

Lynn opened his phone and checked the morning news, and sure enough, he saw the Lizard, transformed from Dr. Connors, rampaging on the bridge.

But...

"Interesting. Peter Parker is completely absent this time. Dr. Connors caused such a scene, it's impossible he wasn't filmed. Someone deliberately hid his identity."

"Lynn, what are you looking at?"

"Watching the Lizard finally appear, and our government finally showing its true colors."

After saying this, Lynn showed the phone to Jessica. In the photo, Dr. Connors' blurry figure was slightly visible; even to the naked eye, it was clearly a humanoid lizard.

"Pfft..."

"Sit tight, we're moving again. It looks like the traffic is clearing."

American efficiency wasn't actually that bad; the road finally started moving, though the surrounding honking was still deafening. After quite a while and several turns, Lynn finally reached the breakfast stand.

He handed a sandwich to Jessica and took a hot dog for himself.

"I want a hot dog too."

"It's unhealthy. Just eat your sandwich."

Ignoring Jessica's request, Lynn started the car before the traffic cop could reach them, vanishing around the corner in the next second. Let the officer find someone else to bother.

The police station wasn't far. Lynn found the precinct where he had reported the case, parked in a nearby lot, and walked in with Jessica.

"Reporting a case to the left, closing a case to the right, surrendering goes straight upstairs," an elderly woman said, trembling slightly. So, Lynn took Jessica to the right.

"Say, what should I say later?"

"You don't have to say anything. I'll arrange a self-consistent explanation for him. Some things are better left unsaid."

Before Jessica could ask further, Lynn had already led her into the office.

"Hello, are you the one who reported the case? And she is?"

"She is Jessica. Thank God, I finally found her. You wouldn't believe what happened in between..."

Jessica watched Lynn speak eloquently, his eyes occasionally darting to the wall behind the officer, which was covered in various sticky notes. Lynn spun his story without changing his expression, shaking hands with the officer, while a subtle, imperceptible purple psionic energy clung to the man's body.

A few minutes later, a perfectly reasonable missing-person story appeared in the officer's mind.

However, there was nothing sexual in Lynn's story. Even though the young girl in front of him still looked like she could chat and joke, and didn't show too much lingering fear or post-traumatic stress, Lynn hadn't forgotten how she had nearly collapsed the moment the Purple Man died.

This girl was just a bit tougher than the average person; it didn't mean she could endure stimuli that poked at her wounds.

Especially since she had seen Lynn kill.

The impact of that was hard to define.

"So, she went through all this?"

"Believe me, Officer, I just want this poor child to return home and rest as soon as possible. You know, her foster parents' home is in ruins too. Perhaps you could report this to your superiors and strike hard against those dirty underground dealings."

"Without a doubt, Mr. Sedis. I swore an oath on my badge; I will definitely report what you've told me."

"You're a good man. Jessica, go with this officer to give your statement, and then I'll take you home."

The entire process was full of holes, but the officer didn't seem to realize it. Lynn also needed to give a statement.

Jessica looked at Lynn, confused, then at the indignant, burly officer who was blowing his nose with a tissue, and finally just shook her head at Lynn.

"Go ahead."

By the time the girl walked out, looking exhausted, Lynn was taking a nap in the lobby. Midway through, the officer's logic had regained the upper hand, remembering a few key things, and he had called Lynn back up to retake the statement.

But the whole process went as Lynn had expected, without any hitches. There were many runaways and missing persons; it only took a bit of artistic processing and psionic influence to make the officer forget many important details and ignore critical points.

"So, can we close the case?"

"Of course. If we track down the traffickers later, we will notify you immediately. For now, Mr. Sedis, you should take Ms. Jones to get some rest."

"Thank you. We'll be going now; she's likely exhausted from all this."

"Safe travels."

A few minutes later, Jessica sat in the passenger seat, staring at Lynn.

"What's wrong?"

"Which one is the real you?"

"Both are. Why? Should I be fierce and menacing to every ordinary person, and have Tom and Jekutor throw them into the seabed of the Manhattan Bay?"

"No, just think it's interesting, Teacher Lynn~~"

Jessica hadn't known about Lynn's role as a teacher at Midtown High until she chatted with the officer after giving her statement.

"You're recovering well. Let's head back to the shop and get some rest."

"What about that big, dull guy? Doesn't look like he opened the shop today."

"Yeah, I found a new way to make money. I probably won't need to run the fried chicken shop anymore. You can rest at the shop for a couple of days; I assume you don't want to go back to Queens."

"Lynn, are you serious about being a teacher at Midtown High? You wouldn't be..."

Lynn could guess what Jessica was going to say and interrupted, "Let's be clear, I might not be a good person, but at least I'm an adult with normal intelligence. There's no benefit for me to go looking for experimental materials at a school. Girl, if you're bored, play some video games, don't let your imagination run wild."

Lynn didn't offer further explanation. At that moment, his phone rang; he pulled it out, and Kara’s voice came through.

"Doctor, Maria has arranged the vehicles and movers. They will be there soon to move your laboratory."

"Where are they?"

"I estimate they will arrive at your former shop in ten minutes."

Sure enough, ten minutes later, a truck disguised as a moving company arrived at Lynn's storefront. Several burly men wrapped tightly in heavy clothing stepped out. Lynn quickly sensed the Kalla organization spreading through their bodies via psionic perception.

These were the vampires under Maria.

The truck had also undergone multiple modifications, far heavier than it appeared.

"Mr. Sedis, we are here to move your things."

"It's all downstairs. Don't bump anything. Also, follow my instructions. Don't randomly dismantle things you shouldn't touch, understand?"

Lynn's words carried a strange, heavy pressure. The vampires felt as if they couldn't breathe, as if their own master were speaking to them, so they nodded repeatedly, as docile as rabbits in winter.

"Understood. Start working."

Jessica, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, wasn't playing video games. She just silently watched Lynn direct the big guys as they moved one construction after another out of the basement. Although she didn't understand any of it, it didn't stop her from watching Lynn give orders with great interest.

The process lasted until nightfall. After all, these clumsy grunts didn't know which parts of Lynn's instruments could be dismantled and which couldn't, so in the end, Lynn handled the disassembly himself, using them simply as manual labor.

When the heavy truck drove away, it was already dark.

Jessica, wearing one of Lynn's shirts, curled up and fell asleep on the sofa in the fried chicken shop. She didn't seem to care about the stubborn grease stains or the smell of smoke, and only the sound of her light breathing could be heard.

Lynn checked the time, pulled a blanket from the storage room, covered the girl, and sat down on a stool nearby.

Propping his cheek with one hand, he watched Jessica curled up in the corner.

He gave a helpless, bitter smile, covered his face with his hand, took a deep breath, stood up, walked outside, and pulled down the security shutter.

Suddenly, he cast a glance toward the end of the alley.

"I thought our business was finished. Why are you coming to find me again?"

"Why are those vampires working for you?"

"Hmm... just used some small means. What brings you here?"

"Just to see if you're still human, just in case."

Having said that, Blade seemed to be preparing to leave, but Lynn called out to him.

"By the way, Blade, have any men in black suits come looking for you recently?"

There was only silence. No voice answered Lynn.

"It seems not. S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't made contact with him yet."

Psionic arcs flickered faintly on Lynn's body, and the lightbulb in the alley flickered unnaturally. At the same time, he looked back at his fried chicken shop.

"Never mind..."

It was unclear what he was letting go of. Lynn gently pulled the shutter down, returned to his lair, and seemed to have abandoned many thoughts.

"Take it slow."