bioinnovel Chapter 284 [3 Chapters Combined] This is a case of hiding something.
Chapter 284 [3 Chapters Combined] This is a case of hiding something.
Martin Lee, also known as Mr. Negative.
He stared at the headless corpse lying on the ground, rapidly losing its life.
Riley, using his astonishing speed to silently circle behind Mr. Negative and, like the Grim Reaper, cleanly and decisively sever Mr. Negative's head with his right arm transformed into a sharp blade, then maintained his cold and indifferent tone as he read out the verdict on Martin Lee.
"They used homeless people and children from orphanages to conduct illegal experiments, exerted mind control, and ordered them to carry out terrorist attacks. Even just for amusement, they staged countless acts of fratricide, destroying one ordinary family after another that should have been filled with warmth."
As he spoke, Riley bent down, grabbed Mr. Negative's hair, and lifted the bloodied and mangled head up.
Then their eyes met, and facing Mr. Negative, who was on the verge of death with eyes full of resentment and bitterness, he continued to speak, word by word.
"Did you know? Your superpower could have been used for much better purposes... like treating mental illnesses like depression."
After Riley finished speaking, Mr. Negative, already on the verge of death, couldn't withstand the further provocation from Riley's words. His eyes rolled back, and he died on the spot from anger!
"I must say, you are very cautious, Holy Lord."
After taking down Kingpin and Mr. Negative, Riley turned his attention to the last villain present.
The one who, from beginning to end, only left behind a projection, plotting with Kingpin and Mr. Negative how to deal with Riley, but never revealed his true form, was "Vallon".
"Heh, although I didn't have high expectations for these two good-for-nothings, your performance has certainly far exceeded my expectations, Spider-Man."
That's why, even after witnessing the gruesome deaths of his two partners, Valon showed no sign of panic. Instead, he calmly crossed his legs and brazenly taunted Riley.
"However, that's all... The moment I discovered that you could also command the Shadow Legion, I severed ties with them and set up a magic array to prevent their infiltration. Moreover, all communication with these idiots was conducted through magic, not the electronic communication you humans use now."
"How are you going to find me in this situation, Spider-Man?"
After saying that, despite the complete defeat of his schemes and tricks, Valmont seemed to have won a battle, revealing a rather proud and smug smile.
Clearly, Valmont, who knew how terrifying Spider-Man was, had already prepared for the worst.
Furthermore, even if Riley were certain of his current hiding place, he would never be able to find it.
Valon was ready. Once he had his fill of arguing with Riley and had his fill of verbal sparring, he would pack up and run away to find a more secluded hiding place!
Then continue to hide in the shadows, watching Riley's every move, until the right opportunity arises, and then launch another sneak attack on Riley!
As the saying goes, you can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days...
Valon refused to believe that Riley could always be so lucky as to resolve each of his meticulously planned conspiracies without any real danger!
In any case, I am completely unattached in this world, with no weaknesses whatsoever...
Even if Spider-Man comes knocking on his door, Shendu can simply abandon Valmont's body and find another "lucky one" to possess in the vast sea of people!
This means that Valon can fail countless times...
But even though Riley seems strong, he will pay an unbearable price if he fails even once!
"You're right, Holy Lord. You're extremely cautious these days. Without using some special methods, I really can't find you..."
Looking at the extremely arrogant "Vallon" in front of him, Riley, who was originally considering whether to spare "Vallon's" life for the sake of the law of yin and yang balance and let him jump around a little longer, suddenly tightened his white eye mask, making the whole mask look more ferocious and terrifying.
Unfortunately, Valon clearly didn't catch Riley's unspoken message. After hearing Riley's words, his smile became even more arrogant and smug, completely unaware that a large, bold red "Danger" character was quietly appearing above his head.
"A wise surrender, Spider-Man. But don't worry, we'll be back soon—"
"But unfortunately, I happen to know a little about this kind of 'special method'... Xiaoyu, do it!"
Before Valon could finish speaking...
The next second, Riley's meaningful words fell.
The projection of "Valon" suddenly convulsed violently, and a look of fear and confusion, which had not been seen on its smug face for a long time, reappeared.
He looked down at his hands.
Without coming into contact with any object, without touching any open flame, and without even being able to see any burn marks with the naked eye, he was able to feel an extremely clear burning pain!
It was as if an invisible flame was scorching his soul.
Even more deadly is that "Vallon" can keenly sense a familiar yet repulsive aura within this burning sensation.
That's the very air magic that the Holy Lord hates most! The only way in the world to counter it!
"Air magic... This... This is impossible... Air magic requires extremely close proximity to be cast! You're still right next to these idiots, while I'm hiding...!"
Until this moment, she felt that the connection between her soul and Valon's body, which should have been as close as one, was rapidly breaking apart, causing Valon's voice to gradually become hoarse amidst his distorted facial expressions, until it completely reverted to Shendu's original voice.
Even on its face, the likeness of that evil dragon faintly appeared. Baring its teeth, it angrily and resentfully questioned Riley.
"Hiding in an abandoned cave dwelling complex 30 kilometers north of Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China. The specific coordinates are 38°15'N, 109°45'E. And the hiding place was specially constructed using a secret method from the Qin Dynasty to create a defensive barrier that blocks all perception and detection, right?"
Compared to the Lord's resentment and fear, Riley's tone remained as calm as ever.
But with each word he spoke, and with each detail he mentioned, Valon's face grew paler.
By the time Riley accurately reported the exact coordinates of the cave and Valmont's biggest trump card for hiding, the pupils of this self-proclaimed infallible ancient demon had shrunk to the size of pinpoints.
He began to doubt once again whether Riley, who was standing in front of his projection, was actually a human being!
"You...how did you...?"
"Your cleverness has backfired, Holy Lord..."
Faced with the Lord's doubts, Riley, still classified as a "villain," exhibited the common villainous tendency to talk too much. He simply shrugged.
He was just like a heartbroken teacher, earnestly explaining to the Lord that he had failed the exam because of carelessness and neglect of details.
"Indeed, if the Shadow Legion were to search the entire world, it would only take enough time to find your hiding place. So you deliberately created a barrier that blocked perception and prevented the Shadow Legion from entering... But have you considered that this is like trying to hide something obvious? The more an area is off-limits to the Shadow Legion, the more suspicious it is, and the more likely it is to attract my attention?"
"...Even so...as far as I know, there are at least several hundred areas in the entire world that the Shadow Legion cannot enter! And I clearly haven't seen you send anyone to investigate those areas!"
Riley's words were like a wake-up call, causing Valon, who had always thought his defenses were flawless, to blush slightly.
But soon, in order to save face for himself and to buy enough time to prepare for his final escape plan, he quickly decided to...
Valon glared at Riley defiantly and retorted through gritted teeth.
"How did you even find me under these circumstances?! Don't tell me you just got lucky, that you guessed it with a one percent chance!"
"That's right, I don't have the time to travel the world and check for wrong options... But, who told you to underestimate the bonds between people?"
Riley, who is usually infallible, seemed to have suddenly lost his mind and become stupid. He didn't notice Valon's last struggle at all and continued to play the role of the ever-answering alien, calmly reminding "Saint Lord".
"If you were a pure demon, finding you would indeed be a bit troublesome. But right now, the Valon you're possessing is a real human being with normal physiological needs like eating, drinking, defecating, and sleeping every day... So, Holy Lord, why don't you try to recall who those people who delivered packages to you a few days ago were?"
As he spoke, Riley, who had completed the functional transfer ahead of schedule, made a video call to Xiaoyu with a change of heart.
The next second, a high-definition screen appeared between Riley and Valmont's magical projection, visible to both of them.
On the other side of the screen, under the night sky of the Loess Plateau, an excited girl squatted on a small hill not far from the cave where "Walon" was hiding, making a peace sign at the camera.
Beside her stood her father, dressed in a purple Taoist robe. He was repeatedly chanting the classic incantation "Demons and monsters, leave quickly!" while occasionally gesturing with his eyes for Tru, who had long since grown accustomed to her new identity as a "magic apprentice," to pour strange liquids of various colors into a bronze cauldron.
"Hello, Commander Riley! This is Jade from Team Dragon reporting for duty!"
When the video call was first connected, Xiaoyu was able to imitate the military films she had watched and give Riley a respectable salute.
But soon, through the other end of the screen, Xiaoyu saw "Vallon" looking even more uncomfortable than if he had eaten shit, staring intently at her. Her true nature was immediately revealed, and she couldn't help but laugh and add fuel to the fire by mocking "Vallon".
"Hey! Holy Lord! Did you like the surprise we prepared for you? The moment Riley took over the Shadow Legion, we anticipated your actions and immediately searched the entire world, making sure there were no places the Shadow Legion could enter~"
"This...this is impossible! When...when were you here?! I have absolutely no recollection of it...!"
"Just yesterday morning, when I decided to take action against S.H.I.E.L.D., I evacuated everyone around me beforehand."
Compared to Valon's current collapse and confusion, Riley's cold and indifferent tone gradually revealed a hint of pleasure at his successful scheme.
"I hope you enjoyed the canned food the 'delivery trio' brought you. Because that will be your last supper in this universe."
As Riley finished speaking, Valon fell silent for a moment. Then, its eyes widened, and it showed a look of sudden realization.
As Riley said, given that Valon's body still had some value, Shendu certainly couldn't just watch Valon starve to death or die from suffocation.
Therefore, during his time in hiding, the Holy Lord used Valon's personal bank card to pay for various takeout and delivery services to meet his basic needs.
Of course, as a former notorious international fugitive, Valon wouldn't be foolish enough to put his real name on his personal bank card; instead, he fabricated a false identity unrelated to the Mafia.
Furthermore, since the Holy Lord himself is a pure demon, he looks down on all kinds of human electronic products—such as the internet, television, and computers—resulting in his hiding place having almost no electronic devices.
Even when buying something, they would have ninja soldiers teleport them to other cities and then place an order using their mobile phones.
By a twist of fate, "Vallon" was able to find nowhere to hide, and over the past three months, it has been precisely located as a potential risk by the big data search of the silly girl.
However, it was precisely this three-month period of calm that put Valon at ease, and she gradually began to place orders boldly, no longer worried about being tracked and having her location exposed.
Even Valmont never expected this...
What truly exposed Valmont's location was the Shadow Legion and his overly conservative personality after being frightened by Spider-Man.
For the first three months, Valmont would randomly select a location from which he purchased items, completely unrelated to his hiding place. He would then send ninja soldiers to retrieve the goods and teleport them back to Valmont from the shadows.
In addition, considering the "balance of yin and yang," having a demon you know well is always better than dealing with those powerful enemies that suddenly appear out of nowhere, so Riley chose to turn a blind eye to "Vallon".
So during that time, Riley really didn't know where Valon was hiding.
Until Riley's mindset changed drastically and he began to use the power of the Shadow Legion.
Although Riley didn't have any tattoos applied to his body, his method of controlling the Shadow Legion was entirely based on the spellbook written by Shendu.
Logically speaking, Riley and Valmont, who used the same scheme, should be on the same starting line in terms of control over the Shadow Legion, with no distinction between them.
Knowing how terrifying Spider-Man is, Valmont, upon learning that Riley had begun summoning the Shadowkhan, not only worried that Riley might use the Shadowkhan's abilities to track him down to his hiding place, but also decisively abandoned his connection with the Shadowkhan.
At the very first moment, they used the materials they had stored to construct the shielding barrier that should have been foolproof!
However, this meant that Valon, whom even the remnants of the Black Hand Gang distrusted, had to personally go to receive his purchases, in addition to the Shadow Legion.
In addition, during this time, Riley did not degenerate into a bloodthirsty monster as planned.
Deciding that he probably wouldn't be able to stay in this hiding place for long, "Wallon" used his cave dwelling as the delivery point, provided that the materials he had previously purchased online were sufficient. He placed a single order for a large quantity of easy-to-store and consume canned food.
From the day he received the goods, "Valon" abandoned all electronic devices.
He stays in his dilapidated cave dwelling, 24 hours a day.
They obtained the latest information about the outside world solely through magical projection from Kingpin and Mr. Negative.
No matter how you look at it, this should have been a flawless decision.
Unexpectedly, it was this act of hoarding food that completely exposed the fact that "Vallon" was hiding here!
After all, those locations that the Shadow Legion couldn't enter were mostly forbidden zones unsuitable for human habitation, except for the three magical holy sites belonging to the Ancient One.
In this situation, what's the difference between an area that's close to the city and has recently ordered a large amount of ingredients, compared to other locations, and that's tantamount to admitting guilt?
So much so that the moment "Valon" placed an order, it was snatched away on the spot by the silly girl who was wandering in the ocean of the internet, monitoring these suspicious areas 24 hours a day on Riley's orders!
As we all know, under normal circumstances, if you want Xiaoyu to behave herself and not cause any trouble, how would you expect her to listen to you?
That was something that was destined to be impossible.
So, when Riley wanted to completely break ties with Nick Fury, he evacuated everyone around him and made them all leave New York.
Riley, whose mind had been corrupted but whose memories remained intact, decided to do the opposite. Relying on his understanding of Jade's desire to be a hero and her love of secret missions, he appointed Jade as the leader of this special operations team. "Leading" Felicia, Uncle, Tru, and the three idiots from the gang, they crossed the dimensional barrier and arrived in Yulin City.
Then, taking advantage of the fact that the silly girl was bullying the old dragon Saint Lord and didn't understand modern technology, she hacked into Valmont's account and canceled the online shopping order.
So that after arriving in Yulin City, Xiaoyu and the others could simply use the ample funds provided by Riley to purchase goods according to the orders. They would then rent a large truck and have the three idiot gangsters, who were experts in every trade, disguise themselves as deliverymen and openly drive into "Wallon's" hideout.
Then, in the process of seemingly providing considerate service, helping "Vallon" unload goods from the vehicle and transporting them to the hiding place time and time again, they attracted "Vallon's" attention.
So that Felicia, who possessed the Serpent Talisman, could easily infiltrate the deepest part of the cave using her family's secret techniques. In the room where Shendu was hiding, she quietly set up a special air magic specifically designed to counter Valmont.
Of course, this overly straightforward tactic is only effective against Shendu who has forcibly possessed Valmont.
After all, the Holy Lord, who had always despised and looked down on humanity, couldn't even be bothered to remember the trio's names. How could he possibly bother to remember their appearances?
But it's a different story when it's Valon himself.
Even if the trio had just changed their clothes, and even if they had mutated into Dark Assassins, Valmont could still recognize them at a glance and call out their names accurately!
Therefore, the moment Valon saw the three brothers appear dressed as deliverymen, he would realize something was wrong and would immediately make a run for it! He wouldn't wait for his father to be fully prepared and ready to unleash his air magic at any moment!
The difference between a bad boss and a good boss is vividly demonstrated at this moment!
"The Last Supper... Could it be that those canned goods... You despicable human—!!!"
Of course, at this critical juncture, Valon... or rather, the Holy Lord, no longer cared about such details.
On the faintly visible phantom of the dragon's head, the dragon's whiskers trembled violently, which was enough to show how panicked the Holy Lord was at this moment.
Riley's words kept echoing in his mind, which made Shendu push aside the mountain of canned food in front of him and glare at Riley with gritted teeth.
"Oh, watch your words, Holy Lord, or I'll sue you for defamation... Even if you tricked me and made me a 'villain,' I wouldn't stoop to such childish tricks. So don't worry, what you ate was just ordinary food."
Faced with the Holy Lord's accusation, Riley hugged himself and took several steps back, looking aggrieved as if his reputation had been tarnished, which was incredibly infuriating.
Riley only stopped joking around and continued speaking slowly and deliberately when the Holy Lord's face visibly flushed red.
"But while they were delivering the goods, another good girl of mine, with an invisible snake, used special invisible ink to draw air magic guiding runes all over the room where you are now."
"Based on this, this clever little cat has also slightly improved the air magic. It has hidden a remote activation switch in a place you can't even detect."
"In other words, the person who thought they were safe was actually trapped from that moment on, just like they are now."
As soon as Riley finished speaking, Felicia, holding the snake charm, appeared out of thin air next to Jade. Following Riley's verbal suggestion, she decisively pressed the remote control in her hand.
The next second, as the light around the Holy Lord intensified, the seemingly ordinary cave dwelling quickly revealed obscure spells unique to Qi magic from the ground to the walls and then to the ceiling.
With the aid of these incantations, the old man's air magic reached its peak instantly!
In an instant, he controlled Valon's entire body and, like a marionette, lifted him directly into the air!
Streams of black energy, representing the authority of the fire demon, continuously spewed out from Valon's seven orifices as the effects of the air magic were unleashed!