What just happened?
The audience, who had been shielding their eyes from the tension moments earlier, now stared in disbelief at the live broadcast screen.
Then they realized—
James was not only still alive…
He had already appeared outside the door.
What?!
The live chat of the broadcast erupted into chaos. Cheers, gasps, and frantic typing filled the screen. The entire Marvel world was in a frenzy.
"Awesome!!!!!"
"Oh, shit! This guy's a genius!"
"No, no—he's just a lunatic! A madman who gambled with his life… and won! Hahahaha!"
"This guy… he's something else."
As people gradually pieced together what happened through the barrage of chat messages, the truth unfolded:
At that critical moment—when James' left eye was blinded by blood, he relied solely on instinct and refused to close his right eye.
Just one eye left open.
That one eye kept him anchored.
And at the final, most perilous second, he stared directly at the statue, took a cautious step back—and escaped its deadly grasp.
He survived.
Kamar-Taj
The apprentices stared wide-eyed at the glowing screen in the sky, their expressions frozen in astonishment. The Ancient One stood silently, hands folded behind her back, her gaze flickering with intrigue.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
In his dimly lit office, Nick Fury pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled slowly.
A sigh of relief—or perhaps disbelief.
Stark Industries
Inside a sleek lab high above New York, Tony Stark sat frozen, breathing heavily. His shirt was soaked with cold sweat. He looked like someone who had just been pulled out of a nightmare.
On the screen, the final scene played.
James collapsed to his knees, blood streaming from his closed, battered eyes.
His voice was weak, barely above a whisper:
"It has been successfully confirmed... that monocular gaze also works... on SCP-173."
The moment those words were spoken, the once chaotic live chatroom fell completely silent.
Extraordinary Chat Group
[Steve Rogers]:
To be honest... I'm starting to admire this guy.
[Natasha Romanoff]:
I'm genuinely curious. What belief drives him like this? Aren't D-Class personnel... supposed to be death row inmates?
[Nick Fury]:
Technically, even among death row inmates, not all are pure evil. But this guy... he's something else. Tenacious to the point of being terrifying.
[Deadpool]:
Are you kidding me? All he did was keep his eyes open? I once dug out my own eyeballs and played ping-pong with them! Still... gotta admit, this guy's got guts.
[Hulk]:
I think we're missing the big picture here. If one of these anomalies can snap your neck in the blink of an eye… what about the rest?
Fury's expression darkened.
Yes.
Up until now, skepticism had run rampant. Most people assumed that these anomalies were exaggerations—at worst, fictional.
But now…
One statue alone had proven otherwise.
Who could say there weren't far worse things lurking out there?
Fury's mind drifted back to something the white-coated researcher had said before:
"Anomalies are beings and objects that don't follow the natural laws we understand."
"A hallway you can never exit… a mechanical god from ancient times… humans who reshape reality with mere thought…"
Fury swallowed hard.
This was not just a game anymore.
Kamar-Taj (Again)
Silence lingered in the mystical sanctuary.
A burly apprentice turned toward the Ancient One and asked cautiously:
"Sorcerer Supreme… do these things—these anomalies—really exist? Like the ones the Foundation speaks of?"
The Ancient One stared back at the light in the sky and replied calmly:
"That depends on your perception. To ordinary people, even our magic, or mutants, or super-powered beings—are abnormal."
She paused, then added, her voice tinged with a hint of mystery:
"The universe is vast, far beyond our understanding. Humans haven't even left the Milky Way. Everything we know is just the tip of the iceberg."
Future Technology Building
Back at the cutting-edge high-rise where James now resided, he gazed quietly up at the sky screen. Nostalgia filled his eyes.
So much time has passed…
Since my first encounter with an anomaly…
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Spider-Man, who stood beside him, turned to look at James.
There was something different in the young hero's eyes now.
Before, he always thought James carried some heavy emotion—something mysterious and difficult to understand.
But now…
He finally realized what it was.
Exhaustion.
Not just physical fatigue, but a kind of spiritual withering. A soul stretched thin.
What kind of past did he go through?
What could possibly drive someone so far…
That even their soul begins to burn out?
Peter didn't ask.
He simply turned his attention back to the glowing screen.
Maybe the answers were waiting there.
As the scene of James' first mission faded to black, the screen transitioned slowly. But while the Marvel world was still reeling from the last encounter, their curiosity surged.
What was next?
What new anomaly would James face?
Suddenly, the screen lit up again.
Before an image appeared, a calm, clinical voice rang out.
"James. Male.
Twenty-four years old.
Nationality: Long Country.
Height: 1.83 meters.
Weight..."
On-screen, a middle-aged man in a white lab coat was holding a file and reading aloud. He studied James with a curious, almost playful expression.
Marvel fans across the globe stared at the broadcast in shock.
Was this… James' identity before he joined the Foundation?
The voice continued.
"Graduated from United Nations University at the age of sixteen.
Founded Oracle Technology Corporation.
Within four years, turned it into a Fortune Global 500 company.
Global operations. Presence in over fifty countries."
The man reading the report paused for a moment, frowning slightly.
"Disappeared for the next four years.
Then, exactly one week ago, applied to join the Foundation as a D-Class personnel."
Silence.
Stunned.
Completely stunned.
Everyone watching—from SHIELD to Kamar-Taj to Wakanda—froze.
He wasn't a death row criminal?
He was a billionaire genius?
Why would someone like that volunteer for suicide missions?!
The researcher in the white coat looked up at James, confused.
"You know," he said, "a man like you should be in the technical division—not risking your life as a D-Class with only a 30% survival rate."
Another researcher chimed in:
"If we hadn't confirmed your identity, the Director would've thought you were a spy sent by the Serpent's Hand or the Chaos Insurgency!"
Yet another laughed:
"His story's going to be the lead article in next month's Foundation Journal!"
"He's brilliant," one said, shaking his head. "But let's face it—he's insane."
"Totally mad."
Before the jokes got too out of hand, the first researcher raised his hand to silence them.
Then he turned back to James and said seriously:
"I regret to inform you that your second mission has arrived."
At that moment, a new file slowly faded onto the screen:
[SCP Designation: SCP-682]
[Project Name: The Immortal Lizard]
A chill rippled across every viewer watching from the Marvel world.
Whatever James was about to face next…
It was going to be far worse than a killer statue.
And the countdown to the next mission had already begun.
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