Hearing Wong's confident response, Ronan immediately perked up.
There's actually a way to counter Chaos Magic?
Just half a minute ago, Wong had described Chaos Magic as terrifying and invincible.
Now, there's a way to deal with it?
Could it be some brilliant method left behind by one of the ancient masters?
"What's the method?"
Ronan quickly asked.
Wong glanced at Ronan, took a deep breath, and said:
"Run!"
"The moment you see Chaos Magic, you run!"
"Run as fast as you can!"
Wong blurted out his "method" in one breath!
When Ronan heard this, he shot up from his chair.
He grabbed Wong's wrist and started pulling him outside.
"Come on, I think it's been too long since I've been back, and you've forgotten what it's like to spar!"
"Now, immediately, right away!"
"Let's go to the training ground and show the junior disciples what the most advanced combat techniques of Kamar-Taj look like!"
As he spoke, Ronan tightened his grip, trying to drag Wong out.
What kind of nonsense is this?
Running? Seriously?
In his seventeen years, Ronan has never known what it means to have an opponent.
And now, Wong's advice to him is to turn tail and run?
What kind of solution is that?
Wong, of course, wasn't foolish. Having sparred with Ronan so many times, he knew exactly how strong Ronan was.
There was no way he was going to embarrass himself in front of so many people.
"Why are you getting so worked up? It's not like I came up with this."
"This was said by one of the ancient masters, and it's clearly recorded in the books."
With that, Wong shook off Ronan's hand and rummaged through a pile of books on the table.
He quickly flipped to a specific page, scanned the text for a few seconds, and found the passage.
"Here, see for yourself."
Wong placed the book in front of Ronan.
Skeptical, Ronan took the book and looked at the section Wong pointed to.
After reading it, Ronan was completely speechless.
Indeed, what Wong had just said was almost word-for-word what the ancient master had written.
Although it wasn't phrased so bluntly, the translated meaning was essentially the same.
Words like "avoid" and "do not engage directly" were used, but the gist was clear:
Run!
"So, there's no solution, is there?"
Ronan tossed the book aside, unable to help but frown.
What's up with this ancient master? Did he think he was being funny?
"That's beyond my capabilities."
"Why don't you wait for the Sorcerer Supreme to return and ask her? Maybe she has another method."
Wong shrugged, picking up the book Ronan had thrown on the table.
He understood that Ronan definitely wouldn't be reading these books again.
And his $100 was safely in his pocket now.
"Sigh…"
Ronan sighed. He never expected Chaos Magic to be so troublesome.
Could it really be as he thought—that the current Scarlet Witch hasn't fully mastered Chaos Magic yet?
That she's only learned the basics?
If just the basics allow her to use telekinesis and mind control, then Chaos Magic truly lives up to its terrifying reputation.
But thinking about it, later on, Scarlet Witch could even create an entire town with her powers.
That seems to align with the capabilities of Chaos Magic.
"Forget it, I'll ask the Ancient One when I get the chance."
With that, Ronan turned and left the library.
Of course, he didn't have high expectations. After all, $100 worth of knowledge only got him this much.
If he really wanted to learn more, he'd have to ask the Ancient One.
But since the Ancient One wasn't around, Ronan decided to return to New York and come back in a few days.
After all, Gwen Stacy was coming to his place over the weekend, and the Ancient One would definitely be there.
So, he could ask her then.
——
Life in New York was as boring as ever.
Although New York is a bustling city, it couldn't hide the rot beneath its surface.
Time flew by, and it was already Friday.
Ronan sat in the gym, idly watching his classmates sweat out their youthful energy.
One of the best things about studying in America is that the gym teacher never gets sick.
In fact, the gym teacher shows up almost as often as the other teachers.
It's truly unbelievable.
In front of Ronan, a few classmates were vigorously chasing a basketball.
Their movements still looked a bit clumsy, nowhere near as polished as the school team practicing on the other side of the court.
Ronan lost interest in basketball when he was eight years old.
Why did he lose interest?
Thud!
A basketball landed in front of Ronan.
"Ronan, toss it back!"
One of the players on the court called out to him.
Ronan sighed, bent down to pick up the ball, and casually threw it toward the court.
Swish!
The ball sailed through the air and landed perfectly in the hoop without even touching the rim.
The players on the court were stunned.
They couldn't tell if Ronan was just that good or if it was a fluke.
Ronan sat back down, expressionless. This was why he lost interest in basketball.
With his control over muscles and strength, combined with his keen eyesight, he could sink a shot from anywhere at any time.
When he was eight, he faced off against kids five or six years older than him in a "screw-your-basketball-dreams" exhibition match.
He single-handedly channeled Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry.
He bulldozed through defenders twice his size, then effortlessly pulled off unstoppable fadeaway jump shots.
In the next play, he leaped up and blocked the opposing center's shot, then launched the ball from half-court.
After that game, from elementary school to middle school, no one wanted to play basketball with Ronan.
If Ronan wanted to, he could easily be the best high school player in the country—no, in the entire universe.
Well, assuming there's such a thing as high school outside Earth.
At first, Ronan enjoyed the feeling of dominating others, but over time, it got boring.
Since then, almost all sports became irrelevant to Ronan.
Sometimes, for the sake of credits, he had to participate in sports, but he always held back.
How much did he hold back?
Hmm…
In his view, it was no different from crawling.
"Hey Ronan, did you see the post I shared on social media?"
Just as Ronan was reminiscing, Peter Parker interrupted his thoughts.
Ronan twitched his lips and sighed.
Over the past few days, his chat app had been flooded with messages from Peter Parker.
And his social media feed was filled with Peter sharing his joy.
Tony Stark had acted quickly. In less than two days, he had mostly fulfilled his promises to Peter Parker.
According to Peter's messages, representatives from the foundation had already visited his home to assess his family's situation.
Based on Peter's grades, they said his chances of being selected were high.
Of course, this was just a line for Uncle Ben and Aunt May.
Peter was already their chosen candidate.
When Uncle Ben and Aunt May heard the news, they were overjoyed and cooked a big dinner that night.
And this morning, the foundation representatives brought good news to the Parker family.
Peter's scholarship application had been approved.
Moreover, based on Peter's family situation and the ages of Uncle Ben and Aunt May, they decided to offer the family a job.
They could choose to have either Uncle Ben or Aunt May take the position—very considerate.
Upon hearing the news, Peter immediately shared his joy with his uncle and aunt.
Then, the next person he shared it with was Ronan.
"Yeah, I saw it."
"Congratulations, Peter. No more worries about tuition."
Ronan smiled. He was genuinely happy for Peter.
With the financial pressure lifted, Uncle Ben was unlikely to be shot and killed.
In other words, from this moment on, Peter's fate had been altered.
Of course, that didn't mean it was impossible, but Ronan had done his best.
"Honestly, it's not a big deal. After all, all of this was exchanged for Dr. Connors' research."
"It's not really my achievement."
Peter shook his head, remaining humble.
If it weren't for Dr. Connors' research, if Ronan didn't happen to know Tony Stark, and if Tony Stark hadn't wanted the data, none of this would have happened.
"No, sometimes fate works in mysterious ways."
"You took that data to save Dr. Connors."
"You deserve this."
Ronan wasn't as cautious as Peter, as he could sense if anyone was nearby.
"By the way, did Mr. Stark say when the antidote would be ready?"
Peter suddenly remembered this.
It was agreed that after obtaining the data, Tony Stark would first work on the antidote.
But several days had passed, and there was still no news.
"I don't know. I haven't received any updates."
Ronan shrugged.
He was also a bit puzzled.
Knowing Tony Stark's personality, even if he hadn't finished the antidote, he would've at least called Ronan about the progress.
Not to mention, with Tony's intelligence and resources, creating the antidote shouldn't take much time.
Actually, there's some logic to this.
When it comes to research, the hardest and most time-consuming part is trial and error.
Countless combinations need to be tested before finding the right one.
And even then, what works in theory might not work on humans.
Take Dr. Connors and Captain America, for example.
How many successful super-soldier serums has the U.S. developed over the years?
Dr. Connors' lizard serum was also tested on humans, but he was the only successful case.
So, it's not that simple.
But now, Dr. Connors had already found the right combination. Tony Stark just needed to…
Well, Ronan couldn't keep making excuses.
According to Tony's initial assessment, it shouldn't be this difficult.
But it's taking too long.
"Alright, I hope Mr. Stark can hurry up."
"Any news about Dr. Connors lately?"
Peter asked about another matter.
Ronan shook his head. Since Dr. Connors was taken by the military, there had been no updates.
No one knew what was happening now.
To get more details, they'd need George Stacy's help.
"Let's wait until the antidote is ready before asking."
"Though we might not get a clear answer."
Just as Ronan finished speaking, the TV in the gym cut to a breaking news segment.
It was the same familiar anchor, always reporting on sudden events.
"According to the latest news, New York citizens have been attacked by the giant lizard that was captured recently."
"Witnesses claim that the upright-walking giant lizard began attacking people indiscriminately before suddenly stopping and fleeing in another direction."
"The incident occurred near a military base, and the lizard was even wearing clothing with the base's insignia."
"We have reason to believe that this giant lizard is closely connected to the military."
"It's highly possible that this lizard is a creation of the military!"
"Finally, we urge all citizens to remain vigilant. If you encounter this lizard, please report it to the police immediately."
The anchor spoke quickly, covering the incident, implicating the military, and reminding citizens to stay safe—all in one go.
Truly, a professionally trained anchor is different.
Watching the news, Ronan couldn't help but twitch his lips.
"Peter, it looks like we don't need to ask about Dr. Connors' whereabouts anymore."
Ronan knew Dr. Connors had been taken by the military.
But he never expected Dr. Connors to escape from a heavily guarded military base.
Are those soldiers just for show?
"But we can't let him keep hurting people."
With that, Peter stood up from his chair.
His voice was a bit too loud, drawing the attention of the other students in the gym.
When he realized everyone was looking at him, Peter couldn't help but feel awkward.
"I… I got a little carried away."
Peter stammered an explanation.
Although the excuse wasn't great, the others quickly turned their attention back to the TV.
The news was just too gripping.
Everyone thought the giant lizard from a few days ago had been dealt with by the government.
But now, it was back.
Beep beep beep.
At that moment, Ronan's phone rang.
He picked it up and saw that the caller was his future father-in-law, George Stacy.
Well, looks like work's calling.