Book 9: Chapter 19: On the Eve of War

In Norway, there was a 1,700-meter-high glacier peak in the Scandinavian Mountains. It should have been covered with gleaming white snow, reflecting the bright sunlight. But now, there were several out-of-place black dots on it.

“Grandpa Dean, why was the mission cancelled? Didn’t you say just a week ago that this mission we accepted was very important?” A girl in a red dress asked with confusion.

At that moment, on this gentle mountaintop that was less than ten square meters, there were five humans: one old man and four young people. The old man wore a gray robe, with long silver hair flowing down his back. He had on a pointed leather-brimmed hat like an ancient magician’s and sported a long silver beard.

He must have been very old, but his face was rosy and smooth, and his back was straight. Even though the cold wind on the peak made his gray robe flap loudly, the old man didn’t seem to feel the cold at all. He stood firm in the icy wind mixed with snowflakes, like an old but sturdy pine tree on a cliff.

Hearing the red-dressed girl’s question, he didn’t speak right away. His eyes were serious as he gazed down the mountain. Through the layers of mountain ranges, scattered buildings were visible on the cliffs of the mountainside.

This was Grimm Academy, which had been converted from a monastic school over a hundred years ago. Most people who had dealings with Grimm Academy thought it was located on the European mainland. Very few knew that this hunter academy, dedicated to hunting evil spirits and dark creatures, actually had its true base in the mountains of the Scandinavian Peninsula.

Besides the old man, there were four young girls. They wore red, white, black, and yellow dresses respectively. If Qin Lun and Grant were here, they would have immediately recognized that the attire of three of these girls was very similar to the Fairy Tale Maidens they had encountered in the previous World War II World.

If there was any difference, it was that the red, white, and black girls looked somewhat different from the Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and Black Queen they had met before. It seemed they were not the same Fairy Tale Maidens.

“Closing the new evil spirit spacetime gate is indeed a very important mission!” After a long silence, the old man finally spoke softly to explain. “If some emergency hadn’t come up, the council would not have called you back.”

“Dean, what exactly happened?” The girls looked at each other in surprise. They could sense the old dean’s somewhat heavy mood. Since they had entered the academy, this was the first time they had seen this kind and gentle old man, who always seemed unshakable, show such an expression.

“When you get old, you tend to get a bit sentimental. Don’t worry, this matter has nothing to do with you.” The old dean shook his head and smiled, the worry on his face already fading. “I called you back because the academy’s protection forces are currently insufficient. I need you to stay here with this old man and guard the place for a while!”

“The academy’s protection forces are insufficient?” The girls’ expressions grew even more puzzled. The girl in the white princess dress frowned slightly. “Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen Professor Liv and the others… Dean, is the emergency related to the previous generation’s Fairy Tale Girls Team?”

“Hehe, sometimes when I see you kids growing up, it reminds me of Liv and the others from before!” The old dean smiled with satisfaction. “This matter is indeed related to Professor Liv and the others. Originally, I was going to go too. But the timing is just too inconvenient. Most of the professors at the academy are out on missions. With Liv and the others gone too, there would be no one left to guard the academy. So, I had to call you back.”

“Will Professor Liv and the others be in danger?” The girls looked at each other and couldn’t help asking.

“Hehe, don’t worry! Liv and Irene and the others are the previous generation’s Fairy Tale Girls Team. After all these years, their mastery of superpower is perfect. Any two of them working together could defeat me. Besides, the academy has temporarily hired a group of superhuman mercenaries. There should be no problem!”

The old dean turned his head and looked towards the south. His voice was low and firm, but deep in his pupils, there was still a trace of worry that couldn’t be erased.

…

“Hey, Tony, why didn’t you get a private jet? I feel like my bone marrow is freezing!”

Over the Atlantic Ocean, a flying object spewing white flames was speeding forward. Looking closely, this small aircraft seemed to be a robot with a delta wing mounted on its back. On this clearly makeshift delta wing, two other people were lying.

“Dr. Bruce, all my private jets are under Nick’s surveillance. There’s no way they could leave U.S. airspace. That one-eyed dark-skinned freak never intended to let us join this operation!” The robot spoke in a strangely accented, teasing voice.

“Dark-skinned freak? Tony, that’s racist. If Nick heard that, he wouldn’t let you off easily.” Dr. Bruce shrugged helplessly. He was starting to regret teaming up with this playful, childish old kid.

“Alright, I admit that phrasing was ambiguous. But he wasn’t going to let us off anyway for sneaking off to London like this!” Iron Man rolled his eyes inside his metal suit, speaking nonchalantly. “Besides… Doctor, do you remember who dragged me out of my warm vacation villa?”

“I’m doing this for an old friend!” Dr. Bruce rubbed his nose, which was almost numb from the cold, and looked toward the other end of the wing at their silent companion.

“Sorry, Bruce, Tony. I owe you one for this.” The gentle-looking man lying at the other end of the wing was silent for a moment before speaking softly.

“Don’t mention it, old friend. You’ve helped us too!” Bruce sighed. “We just hope that after this is over, you can resolve your inner turmoil and find some peace.”

The gentle middle-aged man remained silent. His face looked somewhat haggard, but the fire ignited deep in his pupils burned brighter and brighter. The hatred mixed within it made his two companions feel a chill.

In fact, after receiving news that their mortal enemy was about to appear in London, the Avengers Alliance led by Captain America did not go all out. These people were very smart; most were geniuses in their respective fields. Many, upon learning of the Washington tragedy, were shocked but also realized it might be an enemy plot.

Through coordination by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury and Captain America, they only planned to send a portion of their superhumans to London. The rest would stay in the country on standby, in case the enemy was using a decoy strategy to launch another terrorist attack in another major U.S. city.

The advance team heading to London was led by Captain America, along with several S.H.I.E.L.D. superhuman employees, including Black Widow Natasha Romanoff and Hawkeye Clint Barton. Though few in number, they carried a superweapon and had a mercenary unit that had just proven itself in the Washington tragedy, so their combat power wasn’t bad.

As for S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, he stayed behind with Spider-Man Peter Parker, Iron Man Tony Stark, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, and others to guard the homeland. If it was confirmed that the enemy was indeed launching a large-scale attack on London, they would immediately take warships to support Captain America and the others.

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s latest model flying carriers had all been destroyed in the Washington tragedy. However, S.H.I.E.L.D. still had small flying warships manufactured earlier. It would only take two or three hours to fly from the U.S. West Coast across the Atlantic to support London.

However, plans often can’t keep up with changes. When the Incredible Hulk, that is, Dr. Bruce Banner, brought an old friend to find Tony, Iron Man had no choice but to keep it from Nick and secretly take them to London to join the battle.

As Bruce said, this old friend had helped them greatly in the past, and they couldn’t refuse his request.

The research foundation for Bruce’s Incredible Hulk bloodline came from this old friend’s bloodline ability. Moreover, a large part of the credit for Bruce being able to gradually suppress the violent nature within the Hulk belonged to this old friend’s guidance.

As for Tony Stark himself, he didn’t have much direct interaction with this old friend. However, the previous leader of Stark Industries, his father Howard Stark, had received much care from this old friend.

A son repays his father’s debts. Iron Man couldn’t refuse the old friend’s request to go to London and fight. Of course, given Tony Stark’s lively nature and love for excitement, this was probably exactly what he wanted.

This old friend of theirs, like Captain America, was a superhuman who had survived since the World War II era. However, his original allegiance was to the Third Reich. Later, due to certain reasons, he defected to the Allied Forces.

He was the former Aryan Ark Corps scientist, the biochemical giant—Leo Robert! The man who had a deep grudge against Qin Lun for killing his wife.

…

“Qin Lun, Major Montana wants us to go to the bridge!” Grant came in with Lace.

“Oh, is it starting?” Qin Lun’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah, Red Skull sent news from the U.S. Their agents planted in S.H.I.E.L.D. haven’t seen Captain America and the others for several days. It seems the Fat Man’s plan to stir the grass and startle the snake worked. Some big fish should have taken the bait!” Grant rubbed his hands together excitedly.

Three days ago, they had boarded the flying warship The Zeppelin again and were hovering over the Atlantic Ocean, waiting for the right moment to invade London. Now that the enemy had set out, the next phase of the plan could begin.

“Our mission stay time is almost half over. If we don’t start soon, we’ll have to act alone!” Lace pouted.

“By the way, the Major also said an old friend of ours just arrived and wants us to meet them!” Grant said with a laugh. “I wonder if it’s that Red Skull head, or that big bat Wurdenbeller!”

Guided by guards, Qin Lun and the other two quickly entered the bridge. As soon as they stepped in, Qin Lun and Grant’s eyes focused on a person standing next to Major Montana.

“Madame Monica, I truly didn’t expect it to be you!” Qin Lun raised an eyebrow in surprise and walked toward the noblewoman beside the Major. The Major hadn’t lied to them; this really was an old friend they hadn’t seen in a long time.