Chapter 43: I Am Your Father!

As Jiang Chen's body began to glow, he looked almost indistinguishable from the Extremis patients, which caught Maria Hill off guard. She had met Jiang Chen before at S.H.I.E.L.D., brought in by Black Widow. Back then, he seemed ordinary, and even Black Widow believed he had the potential to be an agent, but nothing suggested he would have abilities like this.

Maria Hill wasn't the only one shocked. The two Extremis adaptants, Menshaq and Zainal, were also momentarily surprised. They had never encountered Jiang Chen before, and yet here he was, standing toe-to-toe with them.

Despite their confusion, the two Extremis adaptants regained their composure, confident in their numbers. Two against one—they clearly had the advantage.

Maria Hill quickly seized the opportunity, directing her team to evacuate the remaining civilians from the street while Jiang Chen held the two off. As she pulled people to safety, one of the adaptants, a short-haired woman named Zainal, spoke.

"Extremis, huh? Just like us," she sneered. "But where did you get yours? Think you can take both of us down by yourself?"

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, his expression still cold. "I'm different from you," he said, voice laced with sarcasm. "I'm luckier."

The man, Menshaq, let out a low chuckle. "Luck? Is that your name now—Lucky?"

Jiang Chen smirked and shook his head. "No, my name is Daddy."

Menshaq's grin vanished, replaced by a scowl. Anger flared in his eyes as he began to charge up, preparing to launch a burst of fire at Jiang Chen. But just as he was about to attack, he coughed violently, spewing out black smoke instead of flames.

"Damn it! I must've inhaled something," Menshaq muttered, trying to recover. His partner, Zainal, rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Idiot," she hissed, before charging at Jiang Chen with lethal speed. She was ruthless, matching Jiang Chen's strength blow for blow, and the fight quickly escalated as Menshaq rejoined the fray. Flames erupted from all three combatants, making it hard to distinguish friend from foe.

Maria Hill, though still wary of Jiang Chen, knew this wasn't the time for mistrust. Watching the chaos, she gave Jiang Chen a quick briefing. "The man's name is Menshaq, and the woman is Zainal. Both have extensive combat experience—don't fight them hand-to-hand!"

Jiang Chen smirked at her warning. He had no intention of engaging them in close combat. Hand-to-hand wasn't his strong suit, but it seemed to be their preference. They fought viciously, their speed and aggression putting him on the defensive.

Realizing he needed to create some distance, Jiang Chen suddenly unleashed a powerful wave of flames, forcing both adaptants back. Menshaq staggered to his feet and immediately launched a fiery blast toward Jiang Chen, but his aim was off—he hit Zainal instead.

"FUCK! Did you go blind from the fire? You just sprayed me!" Zainal shouted, enraged. The flames singed her clothes, and she glared at Menshaq, fury blazing in her eyes.

Menshaq, equally irritated, snapped back, "If you hadn't rushed in like that, he'd be dead by now!"

"Bitch! I'll kill you if you try that again!" Zainal shot back, pointing an accusing finger at Menshaq's head.

Maria Hill, still observing from a distance, blinked in disbelief. The two Extremis adaptants were... fighting each other? She hadn't expected that.

As Zainal and Menshaq bickered, Jiang Chen decided to intervene. "Hey, you two!" he called out.

Both adaptants turned toward him with irritated expressions, momentarily forgetting their argument. But before they could react, Jiang Chen's flames surrounded them, engulfing them in searing heat. This time, the fire was different—it was more intense, burning through their Extremis-enhanced bodies with a vengeance.

Screams of agony filled the air as the two adaptants were consumed by the flames. They writhed in pain as the fire hollowed out their insides, burning them from within. Slowly, their bodies disintegrated, reduced to nothing but ash.

Jiang Chen stood over their remains, knowing there would be no regeneration this time. The battle was over.

But the situation wasn't. As Jiang Chen turned to leave, a large LED screen flickered to life, displaying a new image. On the screen was President Matthew Ellis, hoisted in the air by a crane, surrounded by armed Pyro soldiers. The camera zoomed in on his face, showing his fear and helplessness.

A familiar voice echoed from the screen, the unmistakable voice of the Mandarin. "This is your leader. Soon, I will show you just how incompetent he truly is..."

Jiang Chen clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the screen. The real threat was just beginning.