American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

438. Deep Undercover!

(T/N): Since it's Christmas there is mass release.

Merry Christmas

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Sitting on a pile of rubble, Alex was surrounded by eerie green flames, which enveloped a tray of exquisite food. The swirling flames emitted a fragrant aroma, like a vortex releasing the scent. As Alex tasted the delicious food, he listened to Susan's report.

Behind Alex, Tony Stark had also moved closer, devouring a cheeseburger. After such a long time of work, he was hungry, though he wasn't fond of Chinese food and preferred burgers with wine.

". . . In any case, that's the situation. I tried to use backend data to track the source of that video, but couldn't find anything useful. It's as if the video just appeared out of nowhere."

Amid the flames, Susan's figure flickered. From her expression, she seemed to have been startled by the sudden, mysterious change as well.

"I understand. Your report is useful. This is definitely a direction we need to investigate. Of course, you don't need to worry too much about it—this doesn't pose a threat to the Wasteland for now," Alex said softly.

"For now?" Susan frowned.

She was a smart person, so she could naturally hear the implied meaning in Alex's words.

Although she didn't know exactly what had happened, the strange video still made Susan feel uneasy, as if she had seen something that shouldn't exist, causing a strong sense of rejection.

"It seems like you know what that thing is?" Tony Stark asked, looking at Alex with curiosity. He had noticed that Alex's ability to understand these things was far superior to the rest of them.

"Kind of. Susan, what do you think that thing looks like?" Alex casually replied.

Hearing this, Susan paused for a moment, then couldn't help but speak up. "Vought streaming sounds like a professional social video platform, and the whole video seems like a complete advertisement."

"Yeah, an advertisement." Alex nodded and continued asking. "What about the characters in the advertisement? The ones you just described, what do they look like?"

"Like… superheroes? Alex, I'm not sure, but I don't think anyone would dress like that. The key point is, they really remind me of… the Justice League." Susan sighed.

"A man wearing the USA flag, a woman dressed like a medieval warrior, and a fast-running African-American man… They're basically a copy of the Justice League."

Although Susan had never seen the Justice League before and had never heard of them, after interacting with Clark and Bruce Wayne, she had come to understand the similarities between their universe and her own.

Now, seeing this bizarre advertisement, the first thing she thought of was the Justice League—it was just too similar.

"Could it be the Squadron Sinister?" Tony Stark suddenly spoke up, offering a new guess.

"Jarvis researched some backend data from the Z Universe, including files on the Avengers and Hydra. Here, there's also a group of superheroes from a 'different world'—a superhero organization that matches the Justice League."

The Squadron Sinister that Tony Stark mentioned was a special team in the Marvel Universe, designed to mirror the Justice League. They typically appeared as anti-heroes and were considered enemies of the Avengers.

The main members were Hyperion, Nighthawk, Power Princess, Amphibian, Doctor Spectrum and Golden Archer, who corresponded to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow.

These characters were a unique part of the Marvel Universe, though most of the Marvel worlds didn't feature them. Only a small number of universes would have these characters.

The Z Universe was obviously one of those small exceptions, but even that wasn't entirely accurate because in the Z Universe, the Squadron Sinister wasn't a product of this Earth. They were a hero organization from a parallel Earth that mirrored Z Earth.

And after that universe was polluted and the zombie virus outbreak occurred, the connection to that world was severed, so it was unlikely they would reconnect.

"I know the Squadron Sinister, but these people have nothing to do with them. Their combat ability isn't as strong as theirs… or rather, their combat ability is hard to define," Alex shook his head slightly.

In fact, as soon as Susan mentioned the word "Vought," Alex had already figured out where the video was from.

Vought Corporation, from Alex's memories of The Boys, also known as the "The Seven," where all the 'superheroes' were a bunch of scum and trash, and their backer was the Vought Corporation.

But what Alex couldn't understand was why an advertisement from Vought would be sent to him, and more importantly, why this thing came from the 'pollution'?

Could it be that this so-called The Boys universe was somehow linked to the pollution that threatened the entire multiverse?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Alex found it hard to draw any useful conclusions. After all, as he had suspected, the combat abilities in that world were too weak.

The people from the homeland couldn't even lift a plane about to crash. Queen Maeve broke her wrist trying to catch a bus, and without drugs, a train would slow down. As for the others, there was even less to say.

Compared to ordinary people, they were indeed a group of powerful superhumans, but when compared to the Justice League or the Avengers, they didn't even make it to the second or third tier.

But somehow, this group of people had a connection with that bizarre pollution, which raised more questions in Alex's mind.

"If their combat abilities aren't strong, why are you treating this like such a big deal?" Tony Stark asked, a little confused.

"Anything connected to the pollution is worth my attention," Alex replied slowly. "That world might have some clues about the pollution."

"Clues about the pollution? That sounds dangerous," Tony Stark said, chewing his burger and sipping his wine.

"But someone has to try, right? Weren't we just talking about those IP addresses? Since those IPs could appear in any universe, why couldn't they originate from this one?"

Upon hearing this, Tony Stark realized Alex's train of thought. "So, you want to go see for yourself?"

"Yeah." Alex didn't deny it, and indeed, he was curious about The Boys universe. The only thing he didn't know was whether this time it would be the film universe or the comic universe.

From that advertisement, though, it was most likely the film universe.

"Then here's the problem," Tony Stark continued, "Susan already said this video has no source. We have no coordinates for that universe to trace, so how do you plan on finding a 'nonexistent' universe?"

"To be honest, that's what I'm struggling with right now." Alex glanced at the sky, where the illusory stars seemed to have a massive head gently swaying.

After a pause, Alex sighed. "The Watchers can't help us. This universe isn't in their monitoring area. Strictly speaking, it's not even on any known world list."

"You mean, it's a newly born universe?" Tony Stark frowned.

"Exactly, and it's one that was birthed from mental pollution," Alex continued, following Tony's lead. "I can't even imagine what that world represents."

At this moment, Susan, who had been silent up to this point, suddenly thought of something.

"Wait, if that universe was born from polluted thoughts, then trying to approach it from our reality would be impossible—unless…"

"Unless we actively approach the pollution and seek out the coordinates of that universe from within it," Alex's eyes flashed coldly. "Susan, you're a genius."

"But that's impossible, isn't it, Alex? No one understands the power of the pollution better than you do. If it weren't for you, even talking about this might attract the attention of the pollution itself," Susan quickly said.

Nearby, Tony Stark stroked his chin and spoke up.

"But if Alex can find a controllable source of pollution, and use mental energy for a deep image, like a dream within a dream, or delirium, to interact with the pollution in a way that's between the material and the mind, maybe it could work… What are you both looking at me for?"

"When did you get so knowledgeable about these things?" Alex and Susan looked at Tony Stark in surprise.

"What do you think I've been doing all these years?" Tony Stark shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"Though, finding a controllable source of pollution isn't that easy. We might even…"

"Maybe it's not that hard," Alex interrupted Tony Stark.

Seeing this, Tony Stark looked at Alex in surprise.

Alex slightly narrowed his eyes. He didn't explain further, but based on Susan and Tony's suggestions, he had at least figured out the next course of action.

"Tony, I'll leave the cleanup here to you. The transportation of these devices to the Wasteland will be handled by Reid. As for the others and the remaining issues, I need you to keep an eye on them."

"Wait, are you sure you don't need our help?" Tony Stark quickly stopped him. "This thing's weirdness is impossible to calculate. No one knows what kind of difficulties or dangers you might face."

"There's no choice. Like you said, dealing with pollution itself is already a huge problem. I'm afraid none of you have the mental strength to maintain your sanity while coming into contact with the pollution, other than me."

Alex shook his head and stood up, patting Tony Stark on the shoulder.

"Besides, the Overseers still need you to handle their construction. As for the next steps, that's my problem to deal with."

With that, a crimson rectangular portal appeared before Alex.

.....

30 advanced chapters on p@treaon
For advance chapters: /Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
439. The True Hell!
440. The Upper Narrative!
441. Say Yes!!
442. The Resurrection of the Dead.
443. A Strange New World!