Tao Yu could feel the suppression of the World Will within, but there was also a stable trait inherent in the Abyss Aura.
"This is hard to explain simply in words. The Abyss represents chaos, turmoil. If my brain were invaded, it would affect my thinking. However, I sense I might be somewhat unique—perhaps slightly favored in some way..."
The Big Boss said casually.
He merely didn’t want to become stupid, so he restrained the Abyss Aura.
"Quite a clever move..."
Tao Yu nodded approvingly and then began summoning streaks of black lightning in midair, sketching an intricate rune.
The black magic in the Divine Book was extraordinarily abundant, including methods intended for restriction.
Coupled with the Seed of Spirit that Tao Yu already possessed, he continued layering various safeguards onto the Big Boss.
He knew, though, that for someone as quick-witted as the Big Boss, achieving absolute control or so-called loyalty was nearly impossible.
The other party was sure to think of ways to escape enslavement.
But Tao Yu wasn’t genuinely interested in winning over the Big Boss’s heart—gaining control over him physically was enough.
As long as he cooperated obediently to help decode the Life Stele and expose his methods of utilizing Abyss Power, that would suffice.
"A forcibly twisted melon isn’t sweet, but it quenches thirst..."
"Oh, actually, I’m quite satisfied with the current work environment. You’re not a bunch of swine, and we do complement each other well."
The Big Boss, in Tony’s lab, was rapidly calculating something with Jarvis while both his hands furiously input code across several keyboards.
He almost seemed impatient to grow a few extra hands.
"Ha, I think you’re hardly better than a swine yourself."
Tony, standing nearby, lazily slid his finger across a screen, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
However, even Tony’s pride couldn’t deny the Big Boss’s abilities.
When it came to inspiration and ideas, the Big Boss fell short of Tony.
But Tony had to admit that the quick response speed of the Big Boss’s oversized brain was indeed astonishing—almost like a supercomputer.
In this regard, the Big Boss surpassed him.
Luckily, Tony had Jarvis assisting with computational power, so he still retained a psychological edge.
"Still obsessing over physical appearances, Tony? You truly have a long way to mature."
The Big Boss unabashedly remarked.
"Or maybe, here’s a thought: I still care about appearances, while you’re already past caring? Big-headed doll."
Tony retorted cheekily.
Meanwhile, Tao Yu was munching on snacks and flipping through a research paper, quickly moved on to browse the Book of Vishanti.
Lately, the trio had been highly productive—working on decoding the Life Equation from the Life Stele while carving out algorithms related to Abyss Power with the Big Boss.
In reality, researching the Abyss itself was inherently a dangerous endeavor.
The Ancient One and Heimdall had both warned about the risks, but fortunately, Tao Yu seemed to have a mysterious affinity for the Abyss, enabling him to be somewhat bolder.
"Tony, is that thing I asked about last time ready?"
Tao Yu turned to ask Tony.
"It’s ready. The mine has been flooded, and a containment zone is already set up below. With your ability, you can open a portal straight in."
Tony responded to Tao Yu’s request with a straightforward approach.
"Great. I’ll take the Big Boss with me later. The Life Stele is on you for now."
"You sure know how to delegate. By the way, that dark-skinned guy was looking for you last time—no idea if it’s connected to a problem with Cap’s awakening."
"Alright, send me photos of the experimental lab at the bottom of the mine. I’ll deal with this dark-skinned guy first to see what he wants."
"I’ll have Jarvis send them to you."
Tao Yu rubbed his forehead. Over the recent period of brainstorming with both the Big Boss and Tony—their combined top-tier intellect—he had gained significant insights.
But his limitations in computational power were also becoming increasingly apparent. Solely relying on the [Truth Parsing] skill was still inadequate; without forming his full Talent, much of the knowledge had to be hastily absorbed before being digested gradually.
Fortunately, he was still able to keep up!
At least he hadn’t hit a point where he couldn’t understand anything on the spot...
"It’s close—Cap’s about to wake up, and Loki might come charging in, huh..."
Tao Yu began drawing circles with his hand, opening a portal to S.H.I.E.L.D.
Natasha, worn out, had found some excuse to retreat, but Tao Yu often popped over to S.H.I.E.L.D. out of boredom.
With this world’s convenient portal-opening capability, there was simply nowhere to hide.
Initially, Loki’s intentions regarding ruling Midgard might not have been serious.
But being hammered down directly by Tao Yu might have left him a little irritated...
"Eric has already joined S.H.I.E.L.D.’s research team—no idea how that’s turning out."
The interference from the Cosmic Cube was too strong, so Tao Yu didn’t attempt divination but walked through the portal into Natasha’s room instead.
The elite agent, a beauty with almost no days off, was currently exhausted, slumped over her desk with some documents still in front of her.
She appeared to have fallen asleep while reviewing files.
Yet her honed instincts remained—Tao Yu’s light cough instantly jolted her awake.