[Congratulations on earning your reward: Spirit of Vengeance. The system has been updated and can now be viewed.]
Jason examined the system interface and scratched his head. This is...
They've given me Ghost Rider's powers.
Wow, that's actually pretty impressive.
Within the system, he discovered the Spirit of Vengeance's additional abilities: Penance Stare, Hellfire, and Immortality.
The Penance Stare allowed him to judge sinners, while Hellfire served as his power source.
As for Immortality, it currently only rendered him invulnerable during his transform state.
But that wasn't a significant issue—he'd just need to transform diligently.
More importantly, Ghost Rider's immortality granted immunity to numerous magical attacks and curses.
This meant his magical resistance had instantly increased from practically nothing to something substantial.
That's the power of a Diamond-tier gift package. Truly terrifying.
He glanced at the system display and noticed the next classification tier was labeled [King].
Hmm, I wonder if the esteemed Mr. President might qualify for that rank.
As for whether the President was morally corrupt, Jason wasn't particularly concerned.
If he isn't corrupt, it would mean he's severely neglected his duties as President of the United States.
Sensing the explosive power coursing through his body, Jason suddenly realized something was missing.
A mount!
What's Ghost Rider without a badass ride?
Throughout history, Ghost Rider's mounts had included the Hellfire Mammoth, the Hellfire Horse, the Hellfire Motorcycle, the Hellfire Muscle Car—all exceptionally cool.
But what should I choose? The old pickup truck from the church?
Maybe I should buy a Ferrari, or... commandeer a fighter jet?
Wait, the X-Men have that incredible aircraft!
But something still felt lacking.
He suddenly furrowed his brow. Speaking of aircraft, doesn't S.H.I.E.L.D. have that enormous flying vessel called... what was it again?
Nick Fury, you magnificent bastard, why must you have everything!
While Jason happily unwrapped his gift package, Professor Xavier was being subjected to torture.
Not physical torment, but psychological.
His opponent was another extraordinarily powerful Tier 4 mutant—Stryker's son, Jason Stryker, the Master of Illusion.
The Professor wore a neural inhibitor that suppressed his telepathic abilities. He had broken free from Jason Stryker's illusions several times through sheer willpower.
Unfortunately, as Stryker had pointed out: "You fear him more than I do."
The Professor, who had been helpless against Jason Stryker years ago, now found himself completely vulnerable to the illusions with his powers neutralized.
Meanwhile, Jean Grey and Storm, having finally located the presidential would-be assassin—the teleporter Nightcrawler—returned to the academy only to discover it had vanished!
Their former home had been reduced to ruins, with soldiers in military uniforms combing through the wreckage, apparently conducting salvage operations.
The two exchanged alarmed glances.
They dared not land, instead ascending to a higher altitude and circling for some time. Eventually, they thought to contact Jason.
Shortly thereafter, their futuristic aircraft touched down at Jason's facility.
After extensive discussion, the group quickly identified the true mastermind behind recent events: William Stryker.
Following Jason's suggestion, Jean helped Nightcrawler recover his suppressed memories, leading them to Stryker's hidden base.
Alkali Lake Dam.
The team mobilized immediately.
Wolverine, Jean, Storm, Colossus, and Nightcrawler joined forces with Jason's associates—Blade and Frank Castle.
The dam's spillway served as both entrance to Stryker's base and a formidable defensive position.
With the flip of a switch, Stryker could open the floodgates, washing away anyone in the passage with a torrential surge of high-pressure water.
Infiltrating the base would require cunning.
Within the massive corridor, Wolverine advanced alone.
Approaching a thick alloy door, he looked directly at the overhead security camera. "Stryker! I'm here!"
After his declaration, he waited patiently. Moments later, two smaller doors behind him slid open, and several heavily armed soldiers emerged, surrounding him.
After securing special restraints around his wrists, the massive alloy door before them began to slowly part.
Stryker appeared in the doorway. One glance confirmed that the figure before him was indeed Wolverine.
"Well, well, puppy. Welcome home!"
Wolverine gave a faint, knowing smirk. "This time, I'm not coming back alone."
As he spoke, Stryker noticed a section of the distant spillway wall seemingly detach itself and fall to the ground.
Two figures materialized suddenly.
His heart sank as he realized the fallen "wall segment" must have been some kind of camouflage fabric!
Due to the considerable distance, their security cameras hadn't detected anything unusual.
One of the figures was the blue-skinned teleporter Nightcrawler, whom Stryker recognized immediately.
The other was the celebrated hero Jason, whom he had encountered not long ago.
Observing the open door, Jason smiled and asked the teleporter beside him, "Now, can you transport me behind that entrance?"
Earlier, Nightcrawler had explained that he could only teleport to locations within his line of sight, making direct teleportation into Stryker's base impossible.
"Of course, Mr. Jason!"
The moment Stryker spotted Nightcrawler and Jason, he knew the entrance was compromised.
As he retreated, he shouted, "Open fire! Kill them all!"
The command had barely left his lips when a cloud of blue smoke materialized beside Wolverine.
Nightcrawler remained only briefly before teleporting away again.
Jason and Wolverine now faced gunfire from all directions.
PING! CLANG!
THUD! THUD!
Bullets striking Jason ricocheted as if hitting solid steel—either rebounding entirely or flattening into copper discs that dropped harmlessly to the floor.
But Wolverine beside him...
Tragic hardly described it.
Bullets swarmed him, creating countless puncture wounds across his body. Blood splattered everywhere, coating half of Jason's form.
The impact force transferred through Wolverine's body, causing him to stagger like a character in a B-movie—swaying dramatically but too stubborn to fall.
Jason raised his hand, unleashing a cascade of lightning bolts. Every visible soldier was electrocuted, their bodies convulsing before collapsing.
Wolverine dropped to one knee, blood trailing from his lips as he gritted out, "Next time… do us both a favor—don't drag me into crap like this."
Jason regarded the blood spattered across his clothing with disgust and rolled his eyes. "If there is a next time, I definitely won't stand so close to you!"
Jason darted toward another massive iron door that was beginning to close. He thrust both hands forward, halting the heavy alloy barrier's descent.
This chamber controlled the dam's flood discharge operations. If they couldn't secure it, no one else could enter the facility.
The soldiers inside stared at him in horror. This gate was driven by a ten-ton electric motor, yet he had stopped it with his bare hands?
Panicking, they drew their sidearms and emptied their magazines at him.
Jason shook his head wearily. Summoning his rage, he channeled it into raw strength!
His power instantly doubled, allowing him to force the alloy door open with ease.
He dispatched the personnel inside swiftly.
Through the security monitors, he observed numerous soldiers converging on their position.
Stryker appeared to be accelerating his timetable, likely rushing to implement his plan for mutant extermination.
By now, Jean, Storm, Frank, Blade, and the others had finally reached the entrance.
They watched in horror as Wolverine's body continuously expelled bullets, the spent rounds littering the floor around him.
What ruthless enemies!
Poor bastard.
Frank gave Wolverine a curt nod and a rare smirk. "Gotta admit… you're a damn force of nature."
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Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars
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