Marvel: Awakening the Universe.

If Las Vegas is the West's nightlife capital, then...

In a sense, the Lisboa Casino is the Las Vegas of the East.

Anya, dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans that accentuated her perfectly toned figure, was sitting in a booth at a bar, drinking bourbon in front of her.

She didn't like drinking bourbon.

But her brother loved to drink, so after he passed away, Anya tried drinking bourbon, because once again, it was her brother's favorite drink.

But she still felt a little uncomfortable.

Just like she still can't get used to the fact that her brother has left her.

But she will find it.

Use your own methods.

As Anya sipped her bourbon, she looked up and shifted her gaze from the booth to the bar where she was standing.

Calling this a bar is actually incorrect.

Because although it's called a bar, it's more like a casino. However, unlike the ordinary casinos downstairs, this casino on the top floor plays hard-hitting gambling games.

The sunken octagonal cage ring, surrounded by black granite and reinforced glass, stood out prominently in the center under the illumination of several spotlights.

Countless seats were arranged in a tiered pattern around the arena, but these were not neat rows of chairs. Instead, they were booths that resembled the ones Anya was currently sitting in, with their staggered arrangement of red velvet sofas and rosewood armchairs.

Anya then turned her gaze to the surrounding walls.

into the eye.

The huge electronic odds screen is very eye-catching.

The walls retain some of the original bricks and stones, while others are covered with metal plates that resemble dragon scales. The pillars are decorated with lights simulating golden dragons that occasionally move around, their cold eyes overlooking the entire area.

This golden dragon is Anya's purpose for this trip.

To be precise, the owner behind this golden dragon is the reason why Anya came to the Lisboa Casino.

When she was little, Hawke told her many, many stories.

And there is a dragon in this story.

A dragon that, if found and summoned, can grant any wish.

Anya initially thought it was just a story, until she saw some content related to the East in Hydra's internal documents.

In the East, there is a divine dragon, existing in a real-world dimension called "Tarot".

But no one knows where this tarot is, or how to get in. The only person who has any connection with the tarot is the leader of the Ten Commandments Gang.

Mandarin!
The real Mandarin, not the Joker captured by Iron Man back then. That Joker was just an actor, and a pathetic one at that, who had no idea what role he was playing.

There's a saying that goes something like this.

The villain can be a tyrant, but he cannot be a clown.

When you portray a major villain as a clown, you're destined to capture that villain's attention.

In fact it is.

After the clown who played the Mandarin was imprisoned, he disappeared from the prison after a while.

Anya believed that if she followed this clue, she would be able to find the character the clown was playing, who was actually the Mandarin, and then learn the location of the so-called Tarot from him.

The Mandarin will surely tell her where the tarot cards are.

Because she needs to know where this tarot is, then go inside it, find the dragon hidden within, and then have the dragon return her brother to her.

Anya was thinking to herself, and then, as if sensing something, her gaze shifted upwards and landed on a woman who was walking out of the open office.

The woman has short hair, a cool and sassy temperament, and wears a well-tailored suit. Her eyes are sharp, and she exudes a strong and capable aura.

Xu Xialing!
Anya silently uttered the woman's name in her heart.

Don't ask her how she discovered this woman's connection to the real Mandarin; she found out through Hydra's network.

Cut off one head, and there are still eight heads left.

Although a long time has passed since the second Hydra uprising was suppressed, many Hydra members are still active today, and some still hold high positions of power.

Hydra helps Hydra.

This is why Anya has never been discovered or arrested by any law enforcement agency over the years.

Because Hydra was standing behind Anya.

same.

It was precisely because Hydra stood behind Anya that Anya was so certain that as long as she could find the real Mandarin, she would definitely know the reason for the Tarot Secret Realm. Similarly, it was precisely because of this that she dared to come alone after confirming that Xu Xialing had finally returned to the Lisboa.

Just as Anya was watching Xu Xialing walk out of the openwork office.

As a martial arts practitioner, Xu Xialing instantly caught An Ya's gaze and immediately turned her own gaze towards her.

Eyes facing each other.

Anya raised her wine glass.

Xu Xialing raised an eyebrow.

Just then, her assistant came up the stairs and handed her a note.

Xu Xialing unfolds.

into the eye.

The Ten Commandments!

"..."

Xu Xialing's pupils contracted as she looked at her assistant, then followed the direction of her assistant's finger and fell once again on Anya, who was sitting quietly in the booth.

after awhile.

Xu Xialing refused her assistant's company and sat down opposite Anya alone. She then pushed the note she had just received in front of Anya and said in a cold voice, "Before revealing someone else's background, you should first introduce yourself."

Anya held the bourbon glass in both hands, looked up and smiled slightly at Xu Xialing, whose sharp gaze seemed to suggest that she would be drowned if her background wasn't strong enough: "Want to kill me? Sorry, you probably don't have the ability, Miss Xu."

Xu Xialing smiled.

"Don't tell me you're immortal." "No, I'm not."

Anya smiled slightly, took a sip of bourbon, and then said with a smile, "But, if you cut off one of my heads, I will grow a second one."

As soon as these words came out.

Xu Xialing looked at An Ya, who was smiling and drinking, and her pupils contracted three times in an instant.

Only one organization would dare to use Anya's words like that.

And no one dares to impersonate him.

after all--

Defined worldwide as an organization that is anti-human, anyone with a modicum of common sense would not impersonate this organization without a reason.

After all, the members of this organization do not need to be tried; they are the only ones who are universally acknowledged to be able to be killed on the spot once captured.

As Xu Xialing's mind raced, she chuckled, leaned back, and looked at Anya with a newfound curiosity in her eyes, no longer sharp: "I don't remember the Ten Commandments having any connection with you, or anything to talk about."

Although she followed her brother Shangqi's example and broke away from the control of their father Xu Wenwu, she came to the Lisboa alone and established the Golden Dragon Society.

However, Xu Xialing's understanding surpasses that of her brother.

She knew very well that her ability might have played a part in establishing the Golden Dragon Club so smoothly in the Lisboa area, but it certainly wasn't the main reason.

The Golden Dragon Society exists solely because her father is named Xu Wenwu.

and so--

Unlike her brother, who ran away to the Federation intending to cut off all ties with his family and had become a white-hearted person with yellow skin, Xu Xialing didn't want to go back, but that didn't mean she didn't care about her father.

Especially right now.

The Hydra agents came to her and directly mentioned their connection to the Ten Commandments.

"My name is Xu Xialing."

"Phoenix, Anya Phoenix."

Anya looked at Xu Xialing, who was extending her right hand towards her, and did not refuse to shake hands.

soon.

Almost immediately after Anya introduced herself, Xu Xialing heard her assistant's voice through her earphones.

Anya Phoenix, female, born in...

"Hydra agents."

"He is on the federal wanted list."

"hiss."

"She also has an older brother, Hawk Phoenix, Vision, and Scarlet Witch Wanda is her brother's lover."

"..."

Well known.

In this timeline, Hydra is still wanted by the authorities, and it is perfectly normal that Anya, as a member of Hydra, has such clear and transparent information about her.

As Xu Xialing listened to the information relayed by her assistant, her eyes narrowed once more, completely convinced of Anya's background. She then spoke again.

“Ms. Phoenix, once again, it seems like we have no contact whatsoever.”

"Just because it didn't exist before doesn't mean it won't exist in the future."

"Then you've come to the wrong person."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xialing laughed and said, "I'm no longer concerned about things. You've chosen the wrong person to cooperate with."

Anya shrugged.

"Now that I'm here, I know I haven't come to the wrong person."

"is it?"

"I need to speak with the Mandarin, it's a personal matter!"

"Oh."

Xu Xialing raised an eyebrow.

Find her father.

Private matter?

"Can I ask you something?"

Tarot!

"what?"

Xu Xialing was slightly lost in thought.

Anya took a sip of her drink, put down her glass, and looked at Xu Xialing: "I want to go to Tarot, and the Mandarin is the only one who has been to Tarot and come out alive, so I want to see the Mandarin."

Xu Xialing shook her head and smiled.

"Tarot is just a fictional place; there has never been a tarot on Earth."

"Before Thor's arrival, people always thought that all myths were figments of human imagination. But after Thor appeared, people were surprised to find that it was all true, not myths."

Anya said calmly, "So, I will decide for myself whether the Tarot exists or not. Miss Xu, I need to see Lord Man."

Xu Xialing narrowed her eyes as she looked at An Ya, whose expression was resolute and beyond question.

"What if I don't allow it?"

"My brother once said something like this."

Anya met Xu Xialing's eyes with a bright smile: "I'm giving you face, so you have to cherish it and don't be ungrateful."

Xu Xialing's expression changed.

Anya's expression changed abruptly after she finished speaking.

...(End of chapter)