168. Past Memories.

"Who… who are you people really?"

At this point, even if the Blood Baron wasn't the sharpest, he could sense that something was off. Quicksilver, this strange girl—they were not the sort of people who should be found in a wasteland like this. Moreover, from the way they seemed to know him so well, and from their warm demeanor at first, it was clear they were familiar with him. But the Blood Baron could swear he had never met these people before.

He stared blankly at Quicksilver for a moment, and then a sudden suspicion arose in his mind. He stammered out, "No, it's impossible. The timeline has already been fixed. You can't possibly have the ability to traverse time. Are you… not from this world?"

"Hmph, you catch on quickly," Kara snorted, casually tossing him to the ground.

The Blood Baron lay helplessly on the ground. As soon as he spoke, he regretted it. He knew that beings capable of crossing worlds were not ordinary. They likely had even more terrifying entities behind them. Although he didn't know what their purpose was, he realized that by guessing their origins, he might have landed himself on their hit list.

"Please, don't kill me. I beg you, I was forced into this. It was the Red Skull who coerced me. I'm a victim too! Just look at me now—those criminals abandoned me and my kin. You have to believe me!"

The Blood Baron was terrified out of his wits. Unlike Dracula, who could endlessly resurrect, if he died, it was for good. Despite having lived for so many years, the Blood Baron was still very much afraid of death.

"Don't worry, we won't kill you," Alex stepped forward, looking at the Blood Baron as he spoke calmly.

"Really?" The Blood Baron raised his head.

"For now," Alex replied indifferently. "I need you to tell me everything you know about the wasteland. Also, I need a scouting unit. You're still useful, so I won't kill you."

"A scouting unit…" The Blood Baron muttered, seeming a bit slow to understand. "But I'm an evildoer. Aren't you afraid I'll betray you or inform the Red Skull about your plans?"

"In this lawless land, I need to use everything at my disposal. You and your kin have been wandering for so long. Do you really want to keep living this miserable existence? Follow me, and I'll ensure you have warm blood to drink. But if you betray me, I'll make sure you experience what it's like to be burned by the sun."

As a cold-blooded creature, the Blood Baron shuddered involuntarily at Alex's words, even though he didn't understand why. He answered in a trembling voice, "I won't betray you, I swear."

"That's not enough. I'm going to cast some spells on you. I've recently learned some interesting contract magic from Mephisto. Don't worry, as long as you don't betray me, the contract won't harm you," Alex said with a smile.

This contract, originating from the borders of hell, was a specialty of demons. In ancient times, many sorcerers who signed contracts with demons studied this type of sorcery. They would modify the demons' contracts into black magic to capture powerful slaves to protect themselves during their practices.

Over time, this black magic became more widespread. In the modern era, even an ordinary person could learn this magic to capture ghosts or fairies. However, the black magic Alex was using was far from the common stuff. His was a genuine demonic contract, and he could use it thanks to the "help" of Mephisto.

Earlier, Mephisto had trapped Alex by filling his body with countless demon souls. Although the Timepad had prevented the negative energy from affecting Alex, the fragments of information within those souls had caused him no end of trouble. However, there was a silver lining—while being influenced by countless demon soul fragments, Alex had also learned some of the demons' powerful abilities.

It would have taken an ordinary sorcerer a lifetime to master such high-level forbidden knowledge, but fortunately, Alex had wielded immense power at the time, like equipping a computer with advanced processors. This allowed him to absorb knowledge that he wouldn't have had access to before.

"Tell me, how have you survived all these years? Also, I want to know about the Red Skull and other forces. That information is vital to me," Alex demanded.

"Alright…" The Blood Baron knew he had no choice. His life was now in the hands of these three, so he had to comply with their demands. After carefully choosing his words, the Blood Baron slowly began to recount his past.

"The Red Skull was the one who approached me first. He knew I had a grudge against Captain America, so he wanted me to join his alliance. Back then, my kin had some combat power, so I agreed.

"The Red Skull didn't trust me completely, so he kept many of his plans from me. But I didn't care. All I wanted was to make those shadowy heroes pay. So, I led my kin into Hydra's ranks, waiting for the final battle to come."

The Blood Baron sighed heavily, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"When the battle began, I was assigned to the New York battlefield. That was where the main fight between villains and heroes took place. Many notable figures fell there. I thought I would have the chance to personally kill Captain America, but in truth, I never found him.

"The first hero to fall was Iron Fist. According to the Red Skull's information, my kin ambushed him before he could don his armor. But he was strong, and although it was an ambush, the fight dragged on for a long time. By the time we reached the streets, the battle had already reached its peak.

"I don't know what happened outside. All I know is that the streets were littered with bodies, and blood flowed into the sewers.

"As I followed the trail of corpses to rejoin the main forces, I ran into Baron Strucker. He shouted for us to retreat. At the time, I thought our operation had failed. Later, I learned that it hadn't failed; the heroes had all been killed."

As the Blood Baron recounted his story, Alex and the others listened quietly, each lost in their thoughts.

After a pause, Alex asked, "So how did you end up in your current state? The most important question is, you controlled the entire world. Why has the Earth become like this?"

...…..

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169. Unexpected Intel on the Bat.

170. Ashley Arrives.

171. The Symbiote, Venom.

172. "Pietro?"

173. Submission.