I work as an editor at Marvel.

If you dial the right number, there's generally no chance they won't answer.

The common people's approach is different. Since everyone has emotional connections, using the common people's approach is like going through someone's private channel. That usually requires a good relationship or payment, or at least you have to know them. Otherwise, who would bother with you?

Chapter 273 The Soul Gem Stirs Up, the Rescue Team is Wiped Out?!

After Patton's problem was resolved, he regained his composure. In fact, for an elite soldier who had experienced countless battles, the effects of the Soul Stone should not have manifested so quickly. However, Natasha's death had dealt a severe blow to Patton's spirit. Fortunately, everything was over now.

After catching his breath, Barton looked at the Red Skull, who was bound like a dumpling by the Soul-Snatching Chains. The Red Skull was startled, feeling as if a great calamity was about to befall him.

"What's wrong, Patton?" Thor asked with concern.

“I feel like I’ve seen this person somewhere before,” Barton said, pointing at the Red Skull. When the Red Skull pointed, the Soul Ash Cloak on his body had fluttered up, revealing a part of the skull that left a deep impression on Barton, and the red face outside the cloak also had a very strong sense of déjà vu.

"I am the guide leading everyone to the Soul Stone," Red Skull said, as his Ash Cloak activated its maximum concealment, hiding his red face even more.

To Lam Ching-ying, this action seemed like a blatant attempt to cover something up.

After exchanging a glance with Thor, Lin Zhengying walked to Red Skull's side. Thor, holding the Soul Stone, stared at Red Skull, ready to strike without mercy if the guy made any unusual move.

Slowly extending his right hand, one end of the Soul-Hooking Chain swung and entered Lin Zhengying's right hand. This Soul-Hooking Chain was a magical artifact that Eighth Master had nurtured for countless years and had long since acquired sentience.

Lin Zhengying grabbed one end of the Soul-Hooking Chain and shook it forcefully. The chain spun rapidly on the Red Skull's body, grinding away at the Ash Cloak like an angle grinder. Soon, the Red Skull's true form was fully revealed to everyone.

After Red Skull was fully revealed, Barton couldn't quite recognize who this guy was; he just felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen his picture somewhere before.

Thor thought for a moment and then shook his head. If Rogers were here, he would probably recognize him at a glance, but they had never actually seen Red Skull.

Seeing his teammates like this, Lin Zhengying pulled out a detection device from his pocket, pointed it at Red Skull, imported Red Skull's image into the database for comparison, and quickly found the corresponding prototype.

The data comes from the Genshin Impact database. Red Skull was a key figure in the development of WWII and one of the main culprits in the war. He was also the lifelong enemy of Captain Rogers of the United States. According to Rogers himself, Red Skull disappeared when his plane crashed into the glacier, at which time the Space Stone was abnormally activated.

"Red Skull, a fish that slipped through the net?" Lam Ching-ying suddenly laughed.

Remember Hydra? That organization that angered the entire mystical world. In the mission system of any mystical member, there is always a mission: to eliminate any possible remnants of Hydra.

The sudden appearance of Hydra's head gave Lin Zhengying a feeling of incredible luck. To encounter a walking first-class merit while on a field mission was simply unbelievable.

Upon hearing Lam Ching-ying call out his identity, Red Skull immediately began to struggle frantically; sitting idly by and waiting to die was not in his nature.

Lin Zhengying extended his magic sword and aimed it at the Red Skull. As the sword tip swung in the air, a complex talisman was drawn, its exposed color being dark purple, and the patterns on it were all simplified runes of various thunder magic.

To draw a talisman out of thin air, and it was even a Heavenly Thunder Talisman of the highest level outside the Immortal Realm, truly lives up to Lin Zhengying's reputation as a talisman genius.

After the magic power was injected and the talisman was activated, a bolt of lightning slowly condensed above everyone's heads before suddenly crashing down.

Thor looked up at the thunder, and the thunder magic gave him a lot of inspiration. As the god of thunder, Thor could sense the imagery of breaking magic, exorcising demons, intimidating, and destroying from it.

Boom! A bolt of lightning struck the Red Skull, turning his red skin white. A wail escaped his lips, and his bones began to smoke from the lightning strike, giving the impression that his soul had returned to heaven.

Lin Zhengying's eyes flickered slightly, and he pointed his magic sword diagonally at the sky, his magic power emanating from the tip of the sword and penetrating into the thunderclouds that had not yet dissipated.

With a deafening roar, the thunderclouds gathered together once more, and the thunderous roar made Patton's eardrums ring.

"Summon the heavenly thunder!" As Lin Zhengying swung his magic sword down, the ambassador raised his command token.

With a whoosh, nine bolts of heavenly lightning struck in succession. The small-scale heavenly tribulation, under the combined effect of the ambassador's decree and the heavenly lightning talisman, enveloped the red skull. This tribulation lasted for several minutes.

After everything dissipated, the Red Skull was completely gone, reduced to ashes and blended into the nearby soil.

After the thunderclouds dissipated, the Soul-Hooking Chain spiraled out from Lin Zhengying's arm. When the heavenly lightning struck, the Soul-Hooking Chain sensed the aura and immediately slipped back without saying a word. It was just an ordinary chain that had hooked millions of souls, so it was normal for it to be timid.

Barton, who had been watching the whole thing, kept scrutinizing Lam Ching-ying. Who was this guy? Why hadn't he joined the Avengers? If there were more people like him, maybe Thanos wouldn't dare to invade Earth so easily.

Lin Zhengying took a deep breath. This series of moves had drained more than half of his intermediate professional energy reserves.

If it weren't for Master Lin Zhengying feeling guilty for leaving Lin Zhengying alone on Earth without a Heavenly Court for decades, and not giving him a lot of compensation after he became a full-fledged professional, promoting Lin Zhengying from a junior professional to an intermediate professional, Lin Zhengying wouldn't have been able to use this Thunder Technique, even with the Ambassador's Order.

"Master Lin, do you need to rest for a while?" Thor asked softly.

"No need. Speed ​​is of the essence in war. We'll have plenty of time to rest once we get back," Lin Zhengying said, shaking his head.

Seeing this, Barton didn't delay and took Lin Zhengying and Thor to the place where Natasha had fallen.

Looking down from the cliff edge, all they could see were wisps of grayish-white mist composed of remnants of souls. This mist completely obscured their view, and for a moment they couldn't even see Natasha's body.

"Master Lin, please, I will protect you." Thor extended his hand and said. In order to cooperate better with Lin Zhengying, Thor had specially brushed up on some Chinese culture with Heimdall before coming.

Lam Ching-ying felt a strange urge to laugh. It was like a Cantonese person listening to someone from another region speaking Cantonese. The term "protector of the Dharma" is mainly used in Buddhism, and is less common in Taoism, but it can't be said to be a mistake.

After meditating for a moment and calming his mind, Lin Zhengying waved his sleeve, and hundreds of talismans flew out from his sleeve, forming a temporary magic array.

"Heavenly Ambassador Lin Zhengying commands, Black Impermanence Fan Wujiu, obey my order and reveal your true form immediately!"

The soul-snatching chains soared into the air, outlining the shape of a phantom. The newcomer was none other than Black Impermanence, the Eighth Master Fan Wujiu.

"Eighth Master, thank you for your trouble," Lin Zhengying said, bowing.

When summoning Fan Wujiu, he used his status as an ambassador, using the words "summon" and "obey orders," and reciting his full name. Now that Fan Wujiu has arrived, his strength, qualifications, and merits all surpass Lin Zhengying's, so he is respectfully addressed as "Eighth Master."

"Reporting to Your Majesty's order," Fan Wujiu replied. He didn't put on airs. Putting aside Lin Zhengying's identity, his master was not a good-tempered person. If he knew that Lin Zhengying was courteous while Fan Wujiu was putting on airs at this time, then Fan Wujiu's superior, Yama, would probably be nagged for a long time.

The Soul-Hooking Chain was completely different in Fan Wujiu's hands than in Lin Zhengying's. The moment Fan Wujiu threw the Soul-Hooking Chain, Thor's scalp tingled, and he felt as if his soul was about to leave his sheath.

Not to mention Barton, who didn't even dare to look and hid behind Thor.

With a clatter, the chains continued downwards; the cliff seemed bottomless, yet the alluring chains also seemed to extend indefinitely.

The group waited patiently for a while, and Fan Wujiu opened his eyes. He had found it!

Lam Ching-ying then handed over the Philosopher's Stone, and the altar was revealed. The next step was the key to this operation: the substitution of the prince for the raccoon dog.

The two ends of the Soul-Hooking Chain simultaneously transformed into claws. Fan Wujiu placed the Philosopher's Stone on one end, while the other end hooked into Natasha's soul.

"Soul, return!" Fan Wujiu shouted, and the enormous chains rattled. Natasha rose from the bottom of the cliff and flew into Fan Wujiu's hands.

Just as Natasha's body and soul were about to break free from the gray soul layer below the cliff, the earth suddenly trembled. The land seemed to be protesting Fan Wujiu's actions. At the same time, the unconscious souls reached out and grabbed at Natasha, trying to pull her back to the bottom of the cliff.

"Hmph, how dare the evil spirits cause trouble again!" Fan Wujiu sneered, and the Soul-Hooking Chains swung up, completely scattering those who were interfering.

Immediately afterwards, countless soul shadows composed of yin energy surged from Fan Wujiu's body, rushing directly towards the cliff and clearing a path for Natasha.

"Lift!" Fan Wujiu pulled hard, and Natasha flew up and landed in Fan Wujiu's hand.

After completing his task, Fan Wujiu bowed slightly and prepared to leave.

Lin Zhengying swiftly placed a talisman on Natasha's forehead, shoulders, and abdomen, before he could even breathe a sigh of relief.

The Soul Stone in Thor's hand vibrated, and a tremendous suction force swept through the area. Lin Zhengying and the others were stunned and their bodies fell backward.

Fan Wujiu was shocked and was about to step forward to help when the fluctuations of the Soul Gem swept across his projection.

The Soul Gem, with its maximum effect on the deceased, directly dispelled Fan Wujiu from this area.

In the Heavenly Court, Fan Wujiu, who was testing the balance of soul power, suddenly received a message from the projection. He immediately put down his work and turned to fly towards the temporary palace.

He needed to report this to King Yama immediately, as this matter was about to escalate.

The same thing happened on Asgard. Heimdall opened the Bifrost, preparing to rescue people himself, but the barrier formed by the Soul Stone turned this area into an invisible entity, and the Bifrost could not lock onto it at all.

Chapter 274: Is this how you test cadres?

The ambassador's order kept vibrating, like a morning alarm clock, waking Lin Zhengying from his dizziness.

The moment he woke up, Lin Zhengying found that his body had separated from his body. He was now in a state of spiritual separation, but the connection between him and his body still existed, though it was somewhat ethereal.

That gem! Lin Zhengying frowned. He really hadn't expected that so many people would be tricked by a gem. Well, everyone subconsciously thought it was an inanimate object and was completely unprepared, otherwise they wouldn't have been wiped out in one fell swoop.

Looking around, Lin Zhengying found himself in what seemed to be a cave, surrounded by mud and moss, with even small insects crawling on the surface of the soil.

He reached out and pressed his hand against the surroundings. His soul was blocked outside the soil just like a normal body. This made Lin Zhengying very certain of one thing: this was definitely not reality.

Immediately afterwards, Lin Zhengying put two fingers together and pointed at the ambassador's token. The token floated down above his head, and the scattered light protected his entire body. If he wanted to leave, Lin Zhengying could use the ambassador's token to directly and forcibly teleport back to the Asgardian embassy.

However, that would present two problems. One is that there's a chance his physical body won't be able to keep up, leaving him stranded on the planet where the accident occurred. The other is that his teammates who came with him might be in danger.

They're capable of sneaking everyone in here; Lin Zhengying certainly doesn't think the Soul Gem is anything benevolent.

After a moment's thought, Lam Ching-ying walked forward, leaving everyone behind and going ahead on his own—this was not his style.

The further they went, the smaller the cave became. In the narrowest part, Lin Zhengying had to bend over to continue. Fortunately, the path ahead became wider.

After walking for another hundred meters or so, a beam of light shone in from a cave not far away, shining directly in front of Lin Zhengying.

Lin Zhengying stopped where he was, and an article inexplicably came to mind. He then abandoned the boat and entered through the opening. At first, it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for a person to pass through. After walking several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious place.

Peach Blossom Spring? Lin Zhengying continued forward, filled with questions. The moment he left the cave entrance, a cacophony of chirping sounds suddenly filled the air, and the scent of grass and rice wafted into his nostrils.

Looking into the distance, the neat land is divided into plots, and old-fashioned houses are arranged in a very orderly manner. On the intersecting paths, working villagers and poultry run around happily.

"The land was flat and spacious, the houses were neatly arranged, and there were fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees and bamboo groves. The paths crisscrossed, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard. People went about their farming, and the men and women dressed just like outsiders. The elderly and the children were all content and happy." Lin Zhengying looked at everything before him and recited a passage from the famous Peach Blossom Spring with great ease.

Then he shook his head. The original text still needs to be modified. The clothing of men and women here is completely different from that of the outside world. Times are changing, but this place seems to have remained in ancient times.

After standing there for a short while, as if some rule had been triggered, a villager suddenly emerged from the nearby woods. Upon seeing Lin Zhengying, the villager was first surprised, then overjoyed, and ran over enthusiastically to lead Lin Zhengying into the village.

Lin Zhengying's eyes swept over the villager, and he did not find anything wrong. The man's three souls and seven spirits were all intact, just like the soul of a normal ordinary person.

However, even a fool would know there's something wrong with this place now.

With his hands forming a mudra, Lin Zhengying's eyes were wide open. His divine eye swept across the entire village, but he found nothing. Just like the somewhat mechanical villager in front of him, the village was perfectly normal, without a trace of evil spirits.

Without much hesitation, Lin Zhengying followed the villagers into the village. He wanted to see what kind of place this was.

The villagers asked Lin Zhengying about his background and took him to their homes. They slaughtered chickens and ducks, and the aroma of firewood cooking immediately filled the air.

Upon seeing the fisherman, they were greatly surprised and asked where he came from. He answered them in detail. They then invited him to their home, prepared wine and killed a chicken for a meal.

Lin Zhengying calmly observed everything, recalling the corresponding passages from the article in his mind. At the same time, his eyes turned to the doorway. Sure enough, not long after, other villagers carrying things walked over one after another.

Everything unfolds according to the Peach Blossom Spring, but the villagers' somewhat mechanical way of acting is somehow out of place in this world that seems so real.

As he pondered, Lam Ching-ying suddenly reached out and grasped the ambassador's token above his head. The light around his soul also temporarily subsided. Then, he looked at the round table, thinking about some things.

In an instant, the yellow wine on the round table turned into Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), the water into Coca-Cola and Sprite, the chicken into fried chicken, and the duck into roast duck. At the same time, the expressions of the surrounding villagers suddenly became lively.

After all that, this is what it looks like...

Lin Zhengying sighed helplessly and let go of her hand. The ambassador's order took effect again, and the villagers slowly returned to their original mechanized state. However, the food on the table still looked incredibly out of place.

After conducting the experiment once, Lin Zhengying had figured out what kind of place this was.

This space was constructed according to his own preferences. In the brief moment before the Ambassador's Decree took effect, the Soul Gem read the memory molecules emanating from Lin Zhengying's surface, which was the Peach Blossom Spring he was rereading out of boredom.

Once the ambassador's order stabilized, the Soul Gem could no longer read any other information, so it concluded that the world in Peach Blossom Spring was what Lin Zhengying wanted, which is why this small village appeared. At the same time, because Peach Blossom Spring did not contain enough information, the villagers and others that evolved all had the feeling of robots operating according to a program.