Advent

Charlie felt a surge of relief as he finalized his conversation with the dragon. Surprisingly, they had reached a mutual understanding, and the negotiations had ended on a positive note. It became clear to him that the dragons played an essential role in containing one of the strongest sources of infection ever known. Although Charlie didn't fully grasp the mechanics of how dragon power worked, the effectiveness of the sealed realm was undeniable. Humanity had no better option at the moment, so the wisest course of action was to leave the Advent Core in the dragon's care and maintain the seal within the domain. This way, any potential dangers could remain contained, preventing the situation from worsening.

What surprised Charlie most was how friendly the dragon turned out to be. The moment Charlie handed back the small box, the dragon's mood lifted. It even seemed as if it wanted to consider the intruders as friends. While Charlie suspected the dragon's newfound friendliness had something to do with the earlier "lesson" from Ant-Man, he couldn't deny the dragon's somewhat simple nature. From his perspective, the dragon almost seemed like a young member of its species, still childlike and pure-minded. Its lack of experience made it surprisingly cooperative, and this made the establishment of a friendly relationship much easier.

But there was still work to be done. Although the dragon had effectively contained the Core for centuries, or perhaps millennia, there were clear signs that some of its power had begun to leak. To handle this, the Ninth Special Service Division planned to set up a secure camp near the entrance of the domain and might even establish a permanent base. By employing their technology, humans could strengthen the seal, preventing further leaks. Simultaneously, research would be intensified to understand the Core's properties and figure out the best way to neutralize or contain it.

The greatest challenge, however, was the Core's unpredictable nature. No one knew precisely how it worked or how it might respond to the arrival of those gods rumored to come from beyond the stars. Until they had a better understanding, they could only study it carefully while maintaining the current seal. If things went south, the last resort might be to launch it into space to keep it as far from Earth as possible.

After the Ninth Special Service Division took over the site, Batman and Ant-Man withdrew, and Charlie logged out of the game momentarily to explore new options. Navigating to the technology module, he entered "translation" into the search bar, and one of Hank Pym's revolutionary inventions popped up: simultaneous translation technology. This tech allowed Hank Pym, even at the subatomic level, to communicate seamlessly with microscopic intelligent creatures.

"Friday, add simultaneous translation to our tech development and make time for Dr. Hank Pym to take charge," Charlie instructed.

"Already in progress," Friday replied with a smile.

This translation technology could prove crucial in the future, especially if alien encounters became a reality. The ability to communicate, whether for negotiation, espionage, or forming alliances, could make a world of difference.

But this wasn't Charlie's only reward for his hard work—he had reached the next level and unlocked a new skill upgrade.

Most of the experience came from contributions to scientific research. With each level requiring an ever-growing amount of experience, he relied heavily on life skills, with research heroes working around the clock to steadily boost his progress.

The skill extraction phase began, and his first pick was easy: Thor.

Thor among the most powerful heroes in Charlie's lineup. Thor's unique magic resistance and physical strength could balance out Charlie's tech-heavy abilities. Sure enough, the extracted skill was Thor's Enhanced Physique, a level of strength that rendered him almost immune to physical and magical attacks alike. This was critical, especially if he ever had to face powerful beings from other realms.

Before the upgrade, Charlie had been relying on Wolverine's Healing Factor as his primary defensive skill, which provided rapid regeneration but lacked Thor's raw resilience. With Thor's physique now his main defense, he could switch to Wolverine's self-healing only when necessary, creating an adaptable defense that suited different challenges.

Alongside Thor's skill, Charlie gained other useful abilities: a stealth technique, two shooting skills, and even web-slinging, courtesy of Spider-Man. This last ability came as a surprise since, in most versions of the character, Spider-Man relied on mechanical web-shooters. But according to the skill description, the original Spider-Man could actually produce webbing naturally, though he rarely used it, reserving it only for emergencies to avoid depleting his body's resources.

Curious, Charlie tested the web-slinging ability and found it didn't consume much energy unless used in large quantities. He was amused by the limitations, noting that the webbing only shot from his wrists and nowhere else—a reassuring design choice. This reminded him of an old internet joke about a kid who thought he could shoot "webs" like Spider-Man, only from a rather unusual place, to the embarrassment of his classmates and teacher.

With his new skills drawn, Charlie assessed his current setup. With wall-crawling, spider-sense, web-slinging, Thor's enhanced physique, and advanced combat expertise, he felt almost unstoppable, at least by Earth's standards. Yet he reminded himself to stay grounded. There was still a long journey ahead, and recent events hinted at even more dangerous threats looming.

One major issue was his current lack of Hero Points, a necessary resource for unlocking new heroes. He had spent his last points unlocking Ant-Man, so for now, he had to wait and save up for the heroes he wanted.

Another upgrade allowed Charlie to expand his team capacity. He could now bring up to seven heroes into action and deploy five at a time. This setup mirrored the original Avengers roster: Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. The prospect of gathering the original team made him wonder if forming this historic lineup would unlock some kind of synergy bonus, given the team's legacy.

Meanwhile, in a dark and isolated pipeline far from Charlie's current location, a different story was unfolding.

Kile Lenords, once a major figure in the criminal underworld, walked through the pitch-black pipeline with a group of loyal followers. The only light came from the flashlights they carried, casting long, eerie shadows in the narrow passage.

"We never risk our necks for anyone," Kile growled to the man leading them, his voice cold. "If it weren't for the heat those masked freaks were putting on us, we wouldn't even be here. You better be as powerful as you claim."

The man in the shadows chuckled, a strange, hollow sound.

"Who said we were just a 'gang'?"

Kile shivered as he caught a glimpse of the man's face in the dim light, a chill creeping over him.

"Who are you?" he demanded, his voice unsteady.

Ignoring him, the man stepped closer, a disturbing grin on his face.

"You are here to pledge your loyalty to the Great Lord. He has waited far too long, but his time is nearly here.

Soon, we will seize the key that will ensure his return—

The Advent Core."

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