I Prefer to Rely on Myself

The expensive F-22 Raptors and Quinjets had no time to react and were all headed for the embrace of the ocean.

Watching as both military and S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft fell one after another, Reed, Susan, and the others wore expressions of disbelief.

How could they have expected that the Male Muto had the ability to launch electromagnetic pulses?

It wasn't just them; even the members of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military hadn't anticipated it.

The impact of the electromagnetic pulse extended far beyond just the F-22 Raptors and Quinjets. When the electromagnetic pulse released by the Male Muto reached the airport, all electronic devices at the airport malfunctioned. Even Russell's wireless earpiece for communicating with No. 3 stopped working.

With just a single electromagnetic pulse, the Male Muto had proven itself to be even more formidable than S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military had imagined.

Under the influence of the electromagnetic pulse, the entire airport lost power. Not only the airport but also the distant urban areas experienced power outages.

The sun, which had not yet fully set, became the only source of light.

"Perhaps we really should consider cooperating with S.H.I.E.L.D.!" Reed said slowly as he approached Russell.

"Let's see. Things might not be as bad as you imagine," Russell replied calmly.

Although Reed didn't know what Russell's plan was, he didn't say anything more when he saw Russell's confident expression.

After launching the electromagnetic pulse, the Male Muto had originally intended to continue towards Hawaii. However, it quickly focused its attention on the only thing still flying in front of it—the Endosymbiotic Battle Armor.

Or more precisely, it focused on the metal box held by the Endosymbiotic Battle Armor.

Although the metal box held by the Endosymbiotic Battle Armor was sealed and nothing inside could be seen, the Male Muto keenly sensed the weapon-grade enriched uranium inside the box.

Despite having a massive head, the Male Muto didn't waste any time wondering why the Endosymbiotic Battle Armor had brought weapon-grade enriched uranium to it.

Upon discovering that the box contained their favorite "food," the Male Muto didn't hesitate at all. It flew straight toward the Endosymbiotic Battle Armor.

Although No. 3 couldn't currently communicate with Russell, he knew exactly what Russell's plan was.

When the Male Muto flew towards him, wielding its wings, No. 3 didn't hesitate and turned to fly toward the center of the island.

The island where Russell and the others were currently located was called Oahu Island. It was the third-largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago in terms of land area. However, it was home to more than two-thirds of Hawaii's total population.

Although there was a significant population on Oahu Island, most of the people lived in the city, specifically in the urban areas along the coast. The central part of the island had some scattered residents, but combat there wouldn't pose a significant risk to innocent civilians.

As No. 3 controlled the Endosymbiotic Battle Armor to divert the Male Muto towards the center of the island, Reed and the others attempted to restart their aircraft. However, the more advanced the aircraft, the more vulnerable they were to electromagnetic pulses. Fragile electronic components couldn't withstand the effects of powerful electromagnetic pulses.

"Don't use aircraft. You wouldn't want to experience the feeling of crashing from the sky. Drive or fly directly," Russell told Reed and the others.

While he hadn't demonstrated his ability to fly solo yet, it didn't mean he couldn't fly, especially when he had Supergirl, Kara, with him.

"Hulk not take car. Hulk run there!" Hulk spoke up before anyone else.

"Alright, then run there!" Russell agreed and handed Hulk a new radio headset. This one had just been retrieved from the system space and hadn't been affected by the electromagnetic pulse.

Although the Male Muto's electromagnetic pulse was powerful, it couldn't affect the system space. After putting on the somewhat fragile-looking headset, Hulk set down the barrel he was holding and roared. In the next moment, he leaped high into the air, displaying his incredible jumping ability.

Compared to normal running, Hulk preferred this bouncy method of moving forward.

In the blink of an eye, Hulk disappeared into the increasingly dark night.

Once Hulk had left, Russell gave Kara a new headset to replace the malfunctioning one.

Kara transformed into her Supergirl persona, and Johnny, who had transformed into the Human Torch, approached Russell in a provocative manner.

"Your AI just flew away with your armor. Do you need me to take you there?" Johnny asked with a grin.

As soon as Johnny finished speaking, Kara rolled her eyes at him.

Johnny could fly because he had transformed into the Human Torch. You could tell he didn't have the power to fly others just by looking at the orange-red flames on his body.

"No need. I prefer to rely on myself," Russell replied calmly.

"Rely on yourself? Are you planning to run there like that big green guy?" Johnny clearly didn't intend to let this opportunity to taunt Russell slip by. He could fly, and Russell couldn't. In his eyes, that made him stronger than Russell.

"I never said I was going to run," Russell replied. With that, he had white tendrils emerge from his back, quickly coalescing into large, bat-like wings.

From a scientific perspective, even if a human had an extra pair of wings, they wouldn't be able to fly. But in this world, science didn't always follow scientific principles.

Russell had questioned whether he could really fly even with an additional pair of wings. However, after testing it, he realized he had underestimated himself.

Even Grendel, who was as small as a hill, could fly with wings and easily break the sound barrier. As for him, despite having a smaller stature than Grendel, he had no problem flying with the wings created by his symbiote form.

Johnny was left stunned as he looked at the massive white wings behind Russell. Although Russell hadn't taken flight yet, it was clear that Russell wasn't someone who would give himself a pair of useless wings.

"If you want to take someone with you, you can take Ben. He won't mind if you're on fire," Johnny remarked.

"Sorry, I forgot; you can't lift Ben. Your strength is a bit lacking!" Russell quipped. Without paying further attention to Johnny, Russell approached Kara, Princess of Krypton, and lifted her into his arms. Then, with a gentle flap of his white wings, he took off into the sky.