Marvel: Starting as a Time Criminal, Stealing Powers

When Russell saw the gold-quality [Soul-Carrying] entry, he knew he had made the right choice!

If he had hesitated today—if fear had stopped him from absorbing the spiritual essence—then his soul wouldn't have undergone this qualitative transformation.

And in the future, even if he acquired powers like Thor's divine power or Death's authority, he might still be able to use them—but never at full capacity.

As for overpowered abilities like fragments of the Phoenix Force, the system might have even issued a warning:

"Warning: Use may result in mental collapse and physical destruction!"

Absolutely terrifying!

But what surprised him most was the Weakness Erasure that came with the entry.

This meant that if he ever obtained dimensional energy, he wouldn't have to worry about being corrupted by the Lords of the Dimension in return!

It was essentially a high-end version of what the Ancient One had secretly done to shield herself.

Even more astonishing—if he acquired the Spirit of Vengeance, the Weakness Erasure would completely remove the embedded will of vengeance, letting him claim the power cleanly and entirely!

Russell felt that this Weakness Erasure ability alone was worth being considered a gold-tier entry!

As for the [Mind Palace] entry—it was equally timely.

Though it might not be enough to directly suppress Cassandra Nova's terrifying telepathic abilities, it could at least prevent her from invading his mind.

Or maybe... he could even lure her in.

If he played his cards right, he might trick her into entering the Mind Palace—and then trap her inside.

Still, Russell decided to proceed with caution. It would be too embarrassing if, even after weakening her mentally, he still couldn't defeat that crazy woman.

After all, Professor X was known as the most powerful psychic in the world—and Cassandra Nova, who killed him, was undoubtedly even more terrifying.

So at best, this was an uncertain trump card. A safety net.

Even if he were unlucky enough to run into her, he wouldn't be helpless.

He now had some real resistance!

By now, daylight had broken.

Russell let the little wolf girl—who had stood guard all night—get some rest.

When night fell again, Russell, who had been meditating and testing his new strength all afternoon, quietly left alone under the cover of darkness.

This location was concealed by magical vines and not easy to find.

And taking the little wolf girl along would be too dangerous for her.

Luckily, nothing unexpected happened along the way.

Following the directions given by the Snake Squad, Russell traveled for three to four days before finally seeing a ruined city!

There weren't many buildings left standing, but the dilapidated Stark Tower stood out like a sore thumb.

Overhead, faint shimmering portals occasionally opened and shut, spilling trash from above.

At the edge of the city lay the Moss Plains.

It looked barren—no trees, just scattered mounds of dumped garbage.

But Russell knew this area was crawling with Loki variants, hidden underground like rats in a maze.

As for how to find their "rat holes"...

He had a very simple method.

After all, when the cat comes—the rats come out.

Russell put on the Sling Ring and began opening and closing random portals repeatedly.

Open. Close. Open. Close.

A few minutes later—

A thunderous boom echoed from the sky.

Russell looked up to see the horizon darken with gathering clouds.

A flash of crimson lightning streaked across the sky.

Alioth was here!

Russell had thought this beast had been destroyed when Kang the Conqueror self-destructed—

But he was stunned to run into the monster roaming again the very next day.

He wasn't sure if it had survived—or if Kang had simply created another.

But Russell leaned toward the former.

Though Alioth was still distant in the skies, wind had already begun sweeping across the Moss Plains.

In the next second, Russell, standing between the ruins and the plain, witnessed an incredible sight.

It was as if the city's ruins had been poked into a massive rat's nest—

Over a hundred Lokis swarmed out!

Some cast green illusions, some sped away in beat-up cars, some just bolted on foot—

Fleeing in all directions across the plain, like rats running for cover.

Within two minutes, the plain was quiet again.

A clean evacuation.

By now, Alioth had descended from the clouds, its massive, snarling form visible even from a distance, tearing toward the ground.

It was time to move.

Russell had already locked onto his target.

He created a portal, crossed the distance, and landed beside a massive concrete pipe.

After slipping inside, he moved a loose iron sheet—revealing a dark shaft below.

A secret tunnel!

When Alioth roared above the ruins, Russell dropped into the shaft and quickly sealed the opening.

With Spider-Man's climbing ability, Russell descended smoothly down the dark, narrow shaft.

About a hundred meters down, the tunnel widened.

To the left was a heap of garbage. Far to the right, a faint light flickered.

Russell crept quietly through the tunnel for another forty or fifty meters—until the sound of chatter reached his ears.

"What the hell! Didn't that monster already show up this morning? It devoured a bunch of Lokis and still wasn't satisfied!"

"I just saw a fallen takeout box, and boom—there it was again. Ugh. What if it shows up again tomorrow?!"

"I saw a crocodile Loki wearing a crown. Not only did I fail to catch it, I got bitten—and then a little kid took it away!"

"I'm okay. A Viking Loki offered to trade tomorrow. That idiot wants to swap a whole box of brandy for one axe. Luckily, I had an old rusty one lying around."

"You serious? What an idiot. So where's the trade happening? Maybe we can jump him and take it."

"Hehe, I thought the same. So I told him how to leave our base. Tomorrow, we ambush him together!"

The chatter suddenly fell silent.

A second later, a wave of curses exploded from the shadows.

In the dim tunnel, several Lokis suddenly spotted a figure standing there, holding his forehead in mild frustration.

Russell sighed.

"Honestly... are these Lokis even worth the trouble?"

They looked so dumb. Were these really the guys with entries?

Hopefully they weren't contagious.

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