Chapter 57: The Snake, Ophelia

Upon seeing the young man who bore an uncanny resemblance to his father, Yashida Shingen had already assumed that he was his father's illegitimate child or even grandson.

Regardless, it was definitely not a good thing for someone to suddenly appear at his father's final moments of life.

"Put on your protective gear," Shingen commanded.

Since the other party wanted to engage in a swordsmanship duel, Shingen didn't mind teaching him a lesson in life.

His talent in business was mediocre at best, but when it came to swordsmanship, he refused to admit being inferior to anyone.

"No need, let's do it like this," the young man replied.

Feeling the abundant energy in his youthful body, Yashida felt a sense of elation.

Yashida Nobukatsu, who thought he was dealing with his father's illegitimate child, immediately swung his bamboo sword with anger, and the two engaged in a fierce battle.

...

The female doctor watched from the sidelines, applauding lightly as she witnessed Shingen, who was undefeated in countless battles, being beaten by his own father. Every move and technique Shingen used was completely anticipated, and the strikes from the bamboo sword kept landing on his body, evoking memories of paternal love from his childhood.

As the battle progressed, Shingen became increasingly alarmed. In the end, he was thrown to the ground.

"Shingen, it's been thirty years since we last sparred, my son," the young man said.

"Father?"

He could hardly believe it, but it suddenly dawned on him when he noticed the clothes the young man was wearing—a patient's gown.

There was only one person in this old mansion who wore a patient's gown.

"You... have become young?" Shingen questioned.

How could this be?

With just a moment's thought, he identified one person responsible for this transformation—Warren Worthington. It must have been his doing!

Warren's medications, yes, he must have made significant technological breakthroughs and used them on his father, rejuvenating him.

He suppressed the complex thoughts that surged within him and put on a smile. "Congratulations, Father."

Looking at his son's unsightly smile, Yashida wondered how he had ended up with such a fool of a son.

Is he so eager for me to die? He should at least conceal his expression, you fool!

"Have you touched the family's gold reserves during this time?" Yashida asked.

Observing his son's dignified gaze, Shingen shook his head.

"No, I haven't."

"That's good."

Due to his own illness, many matters had been entrusted to his son to handle, but Shingen knew very well that his son was lacking in capability.

Fortunately, he hadn't done anything stupid despite his foolishness.

...

"Doctor, would you like to examine me? My body is in perfect health," Yashida requested.

The Yashida family's doctor, a beautiful woman named Ophelia, unexpectedly came to visit Warren at the hotel.

"What if it's just a physical examination?" Warren asked.

Her beautiful face became enchanting, and her hand pressed against Warren's chest, unbuttoning one of his shirt buttons and moving inwards.

Warren caught her hand that was reaching down and sneered, "I don't particularly appreciate cold-blooded creatures."

The physical contact triggered the clash between the spirit-altering power of twisted belief and the seductive mental power. However, Warren used sheer force to push her away.

As Ophelia fell to the ground, she regretfully commented, "You really have no sense of romance."

Whether in terms of mental power or seductive abilities, she was outmatched by Warren. Even in a physical confrontation, Warren could overpower her with a single hand.

"Well then," Warren said, "let's get straight to the point. I've invested a great deal of effort into the Yashida family. I can't let it all go to waste."

"Oh, I see."

Warren took out a 100-dollar bill from his wallet and threw it on the ground. "There you go, no need for change."

Ophelia's expression changed, and she coldly said, "It seems you have no intention of compensating for my losses."

As she spoke, a mist emanated from her mouth.

Danger was sensed in advance, and Warren activated his Bullet Time ability. The toxic mist, which appeared highly poisonous at first glance, surged towards his face, but he simply raised his hand.

"Holy Light Censer Shield."

In the blink of an eye, a magical array formed, composed of starlight and flames. A burning cross shone within it.

The Holy Light Censer Shield pushed forward, and the toxic mist that made contact with it was immediately purified by the high temperature and sacred power. It then imprinted itself onto Ophelia's body.

"Ah!"

The Holy Light Censer Shield seemed to seal Ophelia, burning and purging her with flames and holy light. The reaction was much stronger than when Warren had used it on his own test subjects.

Had she been deemed evil? Well, she deserved it.

Warren rarely used this skill. In the previous battles, he hadn't needed it—Hulk's punch could shatter this level of magic, and it wasn't necessary when dealing with terrorists.

But now, it was perfect for punishing this snake.

"You will now confess everything you have done with Yashida's resources," Warren commanded.

Yashida had accumulated significant debts, and his funds had been misappropriated, with the majority going to Vengeance and the rest to other directions.

It was evident that this was connected to the snake before him—Ophelia, who possessed the ability to seduce and control minds. She had prospered wherever she went.

In fact, Warren couldn't understand one thing—why would a snake have the power to seduce? What was so attractive about a snake? It's not like it was Bai Niangzi.

Ophelia, looking disheveled, remained slumped on the ground, unable to speak for a long time.

The power of the Holy Light Censer Shield had been amplified in her case, delivering judgment and punishment deep into her soul. The power of holy light was her nemesis.

...

After spending a considerable amount of time interrogating this woman, whose mind seemed muddled, Warren finally learned about her actions using Yashida's resources.

Firstly, she supported HYDRA.

Yes, at this stage, HYDRA had many branches, and she had joined one of them, rising to a leadership position by leveraging her abilities.

However, even among the heads of the multiple branches, there were varying levels of strength.

The Pierce branch could be considered Godzilla-level, while Ophelia's branch was more on the level of a braised lion's head.

She acquired sustenance from Yashida and other companies secretly under her control, growing her own influence.

This time, she was particularly interested in studying Vibranium.

That's right, there were numerous projects within HYDRA's base that she acquired, which were dedicated to researching Vibranium. Although they were eventually abandoned, she managed to obtain them.

The Vibranium research at that HYDRA base wasn't focused on creating weapons, but rather on fusing Vibranium with human cells. The progress was quite smooth, and if it hadn't been for the formidable Captain America at that time, astonishing results might have been achieved.

Vibranium had excellent compatibility with human cells, and the fusion of the two produced unimaginable phenomena.

For example, through the connection between Vibranium and cells, it could carry mutant abilities.

Therefore, the data on transferring mutant abilities that Yashida obtained from Warren proved to be extremely useful. Under Ophelia's leadership, their research progressed rapidly, and they were on the verge of achieving results.

However, just when they were about to succeed, Ophelia discovered that her ability was ineffective against Yashida. A mental control had already taken root deep within Yashida's mind, and her seductive abilities, which were soft in nature, were completely powerless against it.

Unless she could find someone like Professor X, a powerful mutant with exceptional mental abilities, she would be unable to dispel the control over Yashida's mind.

It was undoubtedly Warren's doing, as he was the only one who had interacted with Yashida during that time. She had come to hold him accountable because Yashida, her most important patron, was under his control.

However, to her surprise, she couldn't defeat him. From the beginning, she hadn't considered a direct confrontation, but even her poison didn't work on him. She couldn't utilize her abilities such as shedding skin or snake-like agility and was subdued by Warren, suffering from the torment of his holy light.

"Take me to see your subordinates. They seem quite capable," Warren demanded.

Since they were on the verge of success in their research, he wouldn't be polite. He wanted both the people and the technology.