69novels Chapter 83 The World is Cruel, Dangerous, and Unjust
Chapter 83 The World is Cruel, Dangerous, and Unjust
Chapter 83 The World is Cruel, Dangerous, and Unjust
Hell's Kitchen, Umbrella School, Laboratory.
The moment Bruce Banner and Connors met, they began discussing how to research a viral drug.
Before they even asked each other's names, they were already gathered around the lab bench, arguing about the data.
Faced with this situation, Li En turned and left.
This time he brought Frank back as well, and settled him in a room next to the laboratory.
A day has passed, and Frank still hasn't regained consciousness. He's barely clinging to life thanks to a ventilator and IV fluids.
But Banner said his brain signals were very active, and he was currently in a coma due to impaired bodily functions and would not be able to wake up for the time being.
After all, Frank's internal organs were all severely damaged, and his sternum is still broken.
It's already a miracle that they managed to stay alive.
Li En returned to the principal's office, and soon after, he heard a knock on the door.
"Please come in."
Coulson walked in with Melinda, dragging a huge black suitcase.
This time, Melinda didn't wear the black suit; instead, she casually threw on a tracksuit.
Li En observed her expression, and the latter did not seem to have any displeasure.
Melinda noticed Li En's probing gaze and said directly, "It's great to be able to earn two salaries and do such an easy job."
Coulson simply stared silently at Lee En in front of him.
Nick Fury looked puzzled as he recalled returning to the bureau chief with Lee En's request.
He pressed further, "That kid said he only trusts a few of us, right?"
Coulson nodded, then suddenly understood what the chief was thinking.
"As a Manhattan police officer, he doesn't know much about S.H.I.E.L.D., so it's normal for him to be wary."
Nick Fury turned to Coulson, his expression serious. "He's seen you, Melinda, and Natasha, but why am I on the trust list?"
The reason Nick Fury values Lee so much is because he once worked with Frank on a mission when they were young.
There was still some camaraderie between the two.
He considered himself to know Frank quite well.
The fact that Frank, the Punisher, could suppress his rage and willingly become his subordinate is no small feat.
It's quite interesting that the other person said that.
Of course, this is also because Nick Fury has become wary of everything since becoming the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
This is also true for S.H.I.E.L.D. itself.
Li En's words only amplified his suspicions.
"Take Merlin to the lab. The potion they're researching must not be known to anyone else."
"clear."
In the principal's office.
Coulson stepped forward and held out his hand to Lee: "So, can you give me back my shield now?"
Li En ignored him, instead opening a drawer, taking out an employment form, and picking up a pen. He then walked over to Melinda and handed it to her.
He smiled and said, "Welcome to Umbrella."
Melinda readily signed her name.
From this moment forward, she is a member of the Umbrella Corporation.
At this moment, Li Encai turned around and walked to the wardrobe by the wall.
He opened the cabinet door with a creak, reached inside with both hands, bent down, and pulled it up.
When he turned around, he was holding the vibranium shield in his hands.
He walked back and placed the shield on the desk.
"See, it's perfectly intact."
As Captain America's number one fan, Coulson has studied this shield countless times.
He remembered everything clearly, from the patterns on the paper to the tiny bit of wear and tear on one of the five-pointed stars.
The shield in front of us is exactly the same as it was when it was placed in the memorial hall, no matter how you look at it.
But this makes even less sense.
Why did this man steal it?
If you can't figure it out, then don't think about it for now.
He laid down the huge black suitcase he had brought and unzipped it.
With a solemn expression, he stretched out both hands and held the vibranium shield as if it were some rare treasure.
Coulson carefully placed the shield back into the black suitcase and looked at Lee En again.
"I've returned the things to you," Li En said, glancing at the black box.
"We're having our first morning assembly since the school's founding in a little while. Would you like to stay and attend?"
Coulson immediately replied, "No need, I'll leave now."
Li En turned to Melinda: "Ms. Melinda, come with me to the morning meeting. It's time to introduce you to the students."
"it is good."
In front of the teaching building was a large expanse of barren land.
Li En casually found a wooden box and used it as a platform to stand on.
He scanned the sixty students before him who had come from Hell's Kitchen.
Most of these children had hair like dry straw, sallow complexions, and small, thin bodies.
It was clear that they had been suffering from chronic malnutrition.
Even if I eat school lunches these past two days, the damage to my foundation can't be easily repaired.
Of these sixty students, the youngest is only eight years old and the oldest is twelve.
Apart from Mindy and Frank Jr., almost everyone's eyes were clouded with a sense of emptiness, and their expressions were numb.
Li En had reviewed the cafeteria's surveillance footage from the past two days.
When these children eat, they devour everything in a whirlwind, stuffing all the food into their mouths with ferocious expressions.
But once it finishes eating, it returns to its current lifeless state.
Li En said in a loud voice, "I am the honorary principal of Umbrella School."
He pointed to the row of teachers standing next to him.
"These are Ms. Connors, Ms. Banner, Ms. Natasha, Ms. Melinda, and Ms. Damon."
"In the days to come, they will teach you knowledge."
"But most importantly, I want you to know what it means to be human."
Rumble.
A car appeared at the school gate.
Immediately afterward, Ben Urick of the New York Gazette, with a camera around his neck and a notebook and pen in his hand, rushed over.
He stood quietly to one side, his eyes fixed on Li En on the podium, his right hand gripping the pen tightly.
The reason he came here today is to see for himself what this young man on the stage is going to do.
It will truly become the sword of hell that the citizens speak of, cleaving through the darkness.
Or is he just yet another ambitious individual using Hell's Kitchen as a stepping stone?
Lee En's gaze passed over Ben Urick and landed on Brock and Barron, who were standing at the school gate. He nodded to the two of them.
The two men turned around and escorted two hooded people out of the police car next to them. They led them to the podium and yanked the hoods off their heads.
They were two men whose teeth were almost completely rotten, whose eyes were sunken, and whose faces were covered with dense spots.
One looked to be in his fifties or sixties, and the other was in his early twenties.
But they all have one thing in common—poisonous insects.
If such a venomous insect were to appear in Times Square, anyone who saw it would avoid it, displaying undisguised disgust and contempt.
If you encounter some lively people, they might even come up and give you two baseball bats.
But for these children born and raised in Hell's Kitchen, this is just another common sight on the street.
All the children still stared blankly, their eyes empty and lifeless.
Lee pointed to the two people: "These are the people you see every day in Hell's Kitchen."
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"But I would never describe them as people."
"These guys are nothing but trash."
Even when Li En pointed his finger at them and cursed them like that, the two poisonous insects didn't react at all.
Their eyes were vacant, and yellow drool dripped from their mouths, running down their chins and onto the ground.
"Look at them, this is the epitome of Hell's Kitchen."
The children remained expressionless, except for Mindy and Frank, who showed signs of disgust.
Lee En gestured again to Brock and Barron, instructing them to take the person away.
After the two left, he clapped his hands twice.
Snapped!Snapped!
The crisp sound drew the children's attention back to them.
His chest heaved, and his voice was loud and clear: "You are lucky. How many children don't even make it to your age and die silently in the cold winter nights?"
"The only companions to their corpses were rats and wild dogs."
"You survived; this is your luck, and also your perseverance."
"But your future is destined to be unfortunate."
"You weren't born in heaven; you can only struggle in hell."
"Every day when you open your eyes, what awaits you is not bread and milk, but only hunger and cold."
Li En paused, scanning each young face below the stage.
Although the children's expressions changed slightly, they revealed a sense of indifference and complacency.
They had long known their situation and had long accepted their so-called fate.
Compared to those lucky ones living a few blocks away around Central Park, those near Times Square are fortunate.
These children understood their destiny very early on.
This sight made the teachers standing nearby feel a little reluctant to watch.
Connors' eyes were already wet. He reached out, took off his glasses, and wiped away the tears that had accumulated in the corners of his eyes.
Banner clenched his fists tightly, his breathing became rapid, and he forced deep breaths to suppress it.
Melinda bit her lip slightly, closed her eyes, and couldn't bear to look anymore.
Natasha's masseter muscles bulged slightly, her hands were behind her back, and her fingers were interlocked.
Damon's body was hunched over, and he couldn't straighten up no matter what he did.
Li En clapped his hands loudly again.
Snapped!
The world is cruel. It won't stop the storm just because you cry.
"The world is dangerous. No matter how you run, you can't escape it."
"The world is unfair. Some people are born in heaven, while you are born in hell's kitchen."
After he finished speaking, he paused for a long time, then suddenly stretched out his right hand and raised it high into the sky.
His chest heaved, his mouth opened, and he roared, "Are you resigned to this?!"
"Can you numb yourselves by saying it's all the world's fault, willingly becoming part of hell and rotting away like this?!"
Li En's loud voice echoed and spread across the barren sandy land.
The sound wave made the shoulders of several children in the front row tremble.
But none of the children answered.
Li En suddenly clenched his raised right hand into a fist and slammed it hard into his chest, right on his heart, making a dull thud.
"Boys, struggle! Even if you're in this hell."
"Boys, move forward! Even if all that lies ahead is endless darkness."
"Boys, fight with all your might! Only in this way can we grasp that sliver of hope."