Chapter 178: Gathering of Big Shots
"Victor," Reed Richards frowned slightly. Seeing this nemesis, he couldn't help but secretly become vigilant.
After all, this old rival was notorious for taking advantage of chaos and fishing for benefits during major crises. He'd done it countless times, making vigilance essential.
Unlike Reed, who was on high alert, the other members of the Fantastic Four visibly relaxed the moment they saw Doom.
In their view, although Doom was known for exploiting chaos, the damage he inflicted was undeniable. At least he would prioritize dealing with the biggest threat before considering other matters. Often, Doom was even more reliable than Reed.
"Don't be so chummy, Mr. Fantastic." Doom didn't give Reed a friendly look, clearly harboring resentment.
"You've wasted considerable time. I almost thought you had kingdoms to govern, otherwise why would you arrive so late? We still haven't located the one who's been toying with us."
"My apologies, but managing a family might require more attention than governing a kingdom." Reed didn't back down to his old rival, putting his arm around Susan's shoulder and retorting sarcastically at Doom.
No matter how powerful you are, I'm still the one who got the girl.
Doctor Doom's arms, crossed over his chest, tightened slightly, and his iron armor creaked faintly.
"It seems I'll have to tie your mouth shut before you learn to speak properly."
"Indeed, considering you can't even handle my words."
'Oh, that's a bit gay,' Yang Le thought to himself.
Just as the two were at each other's throats, on the verge of a real fight, someone landed between them, halting the argument.
The person wore a red and purple battle suit and a distinctive helmet, landing between them.
"Cease this pointless bickering," Magneto, Max Eisenhardt, said slowly.
"Max is right," Professor X, Charles Francis Xavier, rolled in on his chair from a distance.
"We should temporarily set aside all prejudices and confront a greater enemy."
"If only you could channel this energy into fighting the enemy," Doctor Strange, Stephen Strange, emerged from a portal, looking at the two with a headache.
"Thank you for your help, Doctor Strange," Franklin thanked him. Thanks to his previous full-power ability, granting omniscience and omnipotence, he knew Doctor Strange had transferred his soul into a mechanical body, saving his life.
"You're welcome, kid," Strange nodded.
"I simply did what was necessary, and besides, you saved this world and all of us. We should be thanking you, kid."
"You say that, and I'm getting a little embarrassed," Franklin scratched his head.
"Don't be embarrassed, Franklin," Tony removed his armor, revealing a tailored suit, and walked over slowly. He was followed by many others.
'Black Bolt, Hulk Bruce Banner, Amadeus Cho, Namor, Black Panther T'Challa, Nova Sam Alexander, Vulcan,' Yang Le quickly scanned the group, 'Wow, these are all big shots.'
Yang Le couldn't help but feel excited. This was the beauty of the comics universe. The heroes he saw were authentic, and there were so many big shots, far surpassing the movie universe.
"You know, all of us standing here owe it to you," Tony said with a smile.
Black Bolt, who could obliterate people with a whisper, remained silent, simply nodding with a smile.
"Okay! Okay!" Franklin gestured to stop the praise. He clearly couldn't take it anymore.
"This isn't solely my merit. Without Valeria and Yang Le, I couldn't have done it."
"Don't try to 'pass the buck,' great hero," Valeria looked at her brother mischievously. It wasn't often you saw Franklin so flustered.
Only then did everyone's attention shift from Franklin to Yang Le. Unlike Franklin, whom they knew well, Yang Le was an unknown quantity.
"Hello, kid," Professor X slowly approached Yang Le.
"We're very grateful for your help."
"Oh, I was also looking out for myself." When Yang Le saw Professor X, his face subtly changed, quickly masked. Facing such a prominent figure of mind power, Yang Le couldn't help but feel uneasy.
After all, having your mind read is a terrifying prospect, and Yang Le hadn't yet invented anything to counter this ability, so his fear was understandable.
"You seem to be afraid of me." Professor X, being Professor X, noticed Yang Le's momentary discomfort even without using his ability.
"It seems you understand me quite well, but rest assured, kid, I won't use mind power on you. I'm not so rude as to be disrespectful to a benefactor. This old timer still has some measure."
"Please excuse me," Yang Le said with a sheepish smile.
"You seem to know a lot about all of us." Doom narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Yang Le from head to toe, as if trying to see right through him.
"And you're also highly suspicious."
Yang Le frowned slightly. He had to admit, such scrutiny and suspicion were unsettling. Yang Le was about to speak when someone stepped in front of him.
No, it was two people. Franklin and Valeria stepped in front of Yang Le, shielding him from Doom's gaze.
"Drop the suspicion, Doom," Franklin frowned, rebuking him.
"Yang Le helped us," Valeria added.
"Oh? A little kindness and affection have clouded your judgment?" Doom dismissed the Fantastic Twins' threat. He was Doctor Doom. Even Franklin couldn't inspire fear in him.
"Enough, Doom!" Susan called out.
"We're here to discuss countermeasures, not to play some assassin game."
Doom didn't say anything further, just glanced at Susan, turned and walked away to find a chair.
"Honestly, what's going on in that bad guy's head?" Valeria muttered.
"Definitely nothing good," Franklin murmured in agreement.
'You could study your dad; he's more dangerous than Doom,' Yang Le thought to himself.
Looking at the Fantastic Twins before him, Yang Le felt genuinely touched. They'd immediately stood up for him, before Yang Le himself could even react. It seemed the Twins truly considered him one of their own.
Then his attitude towards the Twins needed to shift. Yang Le wasn't heartless enough to treat children who were kind to him as mere tools.
Yang Le couldn't suppress the corner of his mouth that turned upwards, walked over to the Twins who were whispering, put his arm around their shoulders, and said with a smile.
"Alright, being able to understand what bad guys are thinking isn't necessarily a good thing."
Watching the three of them joking around, Reed nodded with a smile. After their afternoon conversation, he was quite pleased with Yang Le and happy to see Franklin and Valeria interacting with him.
"Alright, everyone's mostly here. Let's start the meeting."
(End of Chapter)