Chapter 85

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The opposite of fire is naturally ice. As the Human Torch attempted to unleash his supernova explosion, rapidly circling Su Chen, the intense heat spurred Su Chen's evolution. Under the environment's influence and stimulation, Su Chen's immortal body quickly maxed out its fire resistance, gradually achieving fire immunity. To counter the increasing heat waves, his infinitely evolving genes manifested a new ability:

[Awakening: Ice Control]

In an instant, Su Chen realized he could freeze his surroundings entirely. Without hesitation, the energy stored in his countless cells and his entire body transformed into a powerful ice force, radiating outward from him.

Boom!!

The surrounding firestorm was shattered.

Hissss...

The clash between ice and heat produced a massive amount of white steam, obscuring the sky. Ultimately, the ice prevailed, neutralizing the high temperatures and spreading further, freezing nearly half of the forest area and part of the city. Everything in sight was encased in ice.

The Ice Age, indeed.

"Not bad," Su Chen remarked with satisfaction. The Human Torch's supernova explosion had even collapsed part of the space, but Su Chen's absolute freezing power prevented further spatial collapse. If the Human Torch had been more extreme, Su Chen's ice might have advanced to freezing molecular movement, achieving a time-stopping effect.

"What a pity..."

Su Chen almost felt sorry for his weak opponents. If the Human Torch had heard this, he would have been infuriated to death.

...

Meanwhile, on the sea near Devil's Island, the giant Goliath had vanished. He had long believed the Human Torch's efforts were futile, thinking it was merely a suicidal move.

Unfortunately for him, as the first superhero to step forward, Goliath had already been targeted.

"Don't think you can escape."

In a nearby city, Scarlet Witch Wanda appeared on a street. Goliath, in his normal form, angrily faced the woman blocking his path. Dressed in a red coat, tall and elegant with a delicate face, she looked like a celebrity if not for the magical aura surrounding her.

"A woman?" Goliath sneered, his words dripping with disdain.

Wanda coldly smiled. She needed achievements to rise to the management level, become a core member, and earn a codename in the Black and White Chessboard. Goliath was the perfect target.

"Don't underestimate women..."

Chaos magic surged around Wanda, transforming into red magical bullets that she fired at Goliath.

"Hmm..."

The sheer force and intensity of the bombardment made Goliath realize the woman was a serious threat. But he wasn't afraid of her; he feared the impending arrival of the head mutant after dealing with the Human Torch.

Damn woman...

He didn't want to waste time and disappeared like a magician's trick. Wanda's magical bullets missed, reducing buildings to rubble.

"Huh..."

Wanda frowned. She sensed his presence nearby but couldn't see him.

"He's shrunk."

As soon as these words were spoken, a tall, lean figure emerged from the rippling space. Su Chen's sharp psychic senses had detected an unusual life signal nearby. Though Goliath could change his size, he couldn't hide his life force.

Su Chen's eyes fell on the ant-sized Goliath, a smile playing on his cold face.

Buzz!!

In an instant, Su Chen's eyes glowed red, and laser beams shot towards the ground.

Damn...

Realizing he was discovered, Goliath reverted to his normal size but couldn't avoid the laser in time. He was sent flying, crashing into a wall hundreds of meters away.

"Ugh!"

Goliath spat blood, a gruesome hole in his right shoulder. He shakily reached for his enlargement device, but a vast psychic wave invaded his consciousness.

It was Emma Frost, the White Queen. With her shoulder-length blonde hair and chiffon white dress, she controlled Goliath's body, preventing any further action.

"Goliath's size-changing relies on his suit, powered by Pym Particles," Emma explained as she approached Su Chen. "Hank Pym, the first Ant-Man, has deep ties with S.H.I.E.L.D., so it's safe to assume the Ant-Man team is with them."

Damn...

Wanda cursed inwardly, feeling overshadowed again.

...

Far north, in a glacier, the N-37 secret base lay hidden. Like other numbered bases, it was built by S.H.I.E.L.D. as a contingency, with data deleted by Nick Fury himself. Each base could operate on full power for years, withstand nuclear explosions, and support life for over a decade with stored supplies.

"The compressed rations are nauseating, though," said a member of the Ant-Man team, led by the original Ant-Man.

"Unfortunately, Goliath is dead. Our Pym Particles can't solve the head mutant problem. Maybe we need a different approach..."

"Scott, you mentioned entering the quantum realm when you shrank infinitely. Perhaps we should explore that angle."