Chapter 16

"Baron?"

Dr. List looked at Baron Strucker, whose smile was growing wider, with a puzzled expression.

He couldn't understand why the Baron, after spending so much effort and time building the base, wasn't angry or sad about its destruction, but seemed genuinely happy.

"Dr. List, there's no need to be sad. Soon, you'll have a bigger laboratory, better equipment, and everything will be much improved."

Seeing Dr. List's confusion, Leo, still disguised as Strucker, patted his shoulder to console him.

Dr. List's eyes lit up at these words. It turned out the Baron had already planned for this.

"Land over there, on that hilltop."

After observing the terrain, Leo pointed to a small hilltop and ordered the Hydra pilot.

The Hydra pilot nodded and began maneuvering the helicopter towards the indicated hilltop.

Once the helicopter landed, Leo led Dr. List and Dr. Smith off the aircraft. In front of their shocked and horrified eyes, he swiftly broke the Hydra pilot's neck.

He then undid the Transformation Jutsu, revealing his true appearance.

"Mr. Leo!"

"Who are you? Where's the Baron?"

Dr. Smith's initial terror turned to relief upon seeing Leo, whereas Dr. List's fear intensified.

"Dr. Smith, congratulations, you've been rescued."

Leo reassured Dr. Smith before turning to the terrified Dr. List:

"I'm sorry to inform you, your Baron was blown to pieces when you activated the self-destruct. Allow me to reintroduce myself: I am Leo Chen, CEO of Li Corporation, and your future boss."

"This... this..."

Dr. List's mouth moved as if to protest, but recalling the pilot's fate, he swallowed his words.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, he had no choice but to comply if he wanted to survive.

Seeing Dr. List's compliance, Leo stopped intimidating him and instead politely reassured him:

"Dr. List, rest assured. As long as you work diligently for me, you'll receive everything Hydra gave you, and more."

Though not deeply knowledgeable about the Marvel universe, Leo knew that scientists here were invaluable assets. Used correctly, they could be immensely profitable.

Dr. Abraham Erskine created the Super Soldier Serum that birthed Captain America, Dr. Banner turned into the Hulk through gamma radiation, Dr. Octopus nearly created an artificial sun, and then there was the Extremis Virus, among others.

Marvel's high-tech advancements mostly stemmed from these scientists. Building a top-tier team of scientists would significantly benefit both his company's growth and his own genetic enhancement plans.

This was why he kept Dr. List alive throughout the mission.

Honestly, if he could develop a serum to transform into the Hulk while retaining his consciousness, he'd feel confident challenging even high-level ninjas in the Naruto world.

"Young Master!"

Just then, a voice called out.

A group of young men in camouflage, armed with various guns, appeared, led by an elderly man.

It was Uncle Li, who had been waiting with his team at the foot of the mountain as per Leo's orders.

"Uncle Li, handle the rest. I'm heading home. Wanda is waiting for me for dinner."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Seeing Uncle Li arrive as planned, Leo checked the time, decided not to concern himself with the remaining tasks, and drove off.

Uncle Li was more skilled at handling the cleanup.

...

"Five Explosive Tags, one Great Fireball Jutsu Scroll, one Shadow Clone Jutsu Scroll, a sharp longsword, a valuable jade Buddha, and a box of 999 Cold Medicine..."

As he drove home, Leo opened his task item space.

The task item space on the panel was a storage area where rewards for completed side quests were stored.

He could retrieve these items anytime or store them back, making it very convenient.

The downside was it could only store task rewards; non-task items couldn't be placed inside. Even when he tried wrapping the longsword in tape, the tape fell off, remaining outside.

Had this not been the case, he wouldn't have needed to swallow the food pill to bring it back.

The first three items in the task item space were rewards from the recent tasks.

"The Explosive Tags could be useful."

Among the three task rewards, the best was undoubtedly the Great Fireball Jutsu. As an Uchiha clan's secret ninjutsu, it was hard for outsiders to obtain.

The Shadow Clone Jutsu was also valuable but relatively easier to acquire upon returning to the Naruto world. Despite being a B-rank jutsu created by the Second Hokage, it was widespread due to its utility. Many ninja villages had even developed variations like Water Clone, Earth Clone, and Lightning Clone.

Konoha's true challenge lay in obtaining the upgraded A-rank Forbidden Jutsu, Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, which allowed the user to create numerous clones. However, its high chakra consumption made it dangerous for those with insufficient chakra.

As for the final reward, five Explosive Tags, they held little value compared to what he could buy in the Naruto world. In the Marvel universe, their explosion was equivalent to a grenade.

Their advantage lay in their innocuous appearance, making them useful for unexpected attacks and evading modern detection systems.

By six o'clock, Leo finally arrived at his villa. As he parked, he noticed a familiar car.

"Is Pietro here?"

Pietro Maximoff, his brother-in-law and Wanda's twin brother, was twelve minutes older than her. The black car belonged to Pietro.

Leo smiled, guessing why Pietro had come.

Perhaps the Spanish dish Asturian stew was too challenging for Wanda, whose culinary skills were still developing, so she had enlisted her brother's help.

"Looks like I'll have a decent dinner tonight."

With Pietro's help, the food wouldn't be as salty as it was 'three months ago'—a good thing.

It was also an opportunity to discuss moving to New York with Pietro.