Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 277: Ch.276 Disguised Transformation

Chapter 277: Ch.276 Disguised Transformation

The first thing Su Ming needed to deal with was Zemo, the one causing the most trouble. Since Zemo wanted Captain America, Su Ming decided to give him exactly that.

Su Ming patted his chest, sending a mental command. The symbiote, like black sludge, seeped out from the gaps in his armor, covering the sacred armor and beginning to transform.

The symbiote studied the Captain America figure standing in front of Su Ming in the dim lighting, mimicking the form.

First, it changed from black to blue, then imitated various details, drawing energy from Su Ming's body to support the transformation. The X-metal's energy source was endless.

In just a few seconds, Su Ming was wearing Captain America's star-spangled suit.

Of course, there were some differences. Since even the lower half of his face was faked, his expression was stiff. The symbiote still hadn't learned how to match mouth movements to speech.

Then there was the issue of voice. The voice modulator in Su Ming's sacred armor made him sound like a demonic growl. Plus, with his armor hidden inside the "disguise," Su Ming appeared larger and more muscular than Steve, so the body proportions didn't quite match.

Lastly, there were weaknesses—this fake Captain America suit would likely melt if exposed to fire or intense sound waves. As for the pain feedback the symbiote would send Su Ming when injured, that was a minor inconvenience—something a super-soldier could endure.

Now, he was a counterfeit Captain America.

As for impersonating someone else's identity, Su Ming felt no hesitation. As long as it achieved the mission's goals, all methods were on the table.

Besides, it was still nighttime, and unless someone was very familiar with Captain America, this crude disguise would fool enemies observing from a distance.

"I still need a shield," Su Ming muttered.

He pulled out Godslayer, transforming it into a circular shield as per his thoughts. Then the symbiote covered the shield, changing it to red, white, and blue, forming a white star in the center.

Su Ming looked himself over. Up close, he appeared slick and unreal, but from afar, he probably wouldn't get exposed.

"This suit's design is a bit cheesy, though. The one from Avengers: Infinity War looked way cooler."

But internal complaints aside, people in this era recognized the red, white, and blue. What could he do? He had to make do.

"Steve? Is that you?"

Peggy and Nick had been talking, and after only a few seconds of distraction, they turned to find Captain America standing up, radiating in the dim light.

Peggy smiled, but in the next moment, she noticed Steve still lying pale on the stretcher, and her smile froze.

"You've got the wrong person, Agent Carter," came a deep, rasping laugh. She recognized that voice—it was Su Ming, and he hadn't even moved his lips when he spoke.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm borrowing Captain America's identity for a bit of a stroll. Your mission is already over. Now, sit down and keep quiet."

Without paying any attention to Peggy and Fury's bewildered expressions, Su Ming strode out. He had no need to explain his actions to them.

Though, with the Magic Cloak draped over his shoulders while wearing this getup, it did look a bit ugly—too much red and blue for anyone's eyes.

As he walked through the underground catacombs, Su Ming took off the cloak, intending to discuss the matter of aesthetics with it.

"Hey, Cloak, do you mind not draping yourself over my shoulders right now?" Su Ming said.

The cloak wriggled, as if to say, "No way!" and then, with a slithering sound, it slid back onto his shoulders.

It really did make a slithering sound, like noodles being slurped, as it rubbed against the symbiote.

Su Ming shrugged. "Fine. If you insist. After all, it's Captain America looking silly, not me."

At that moment, the symbiote decided to have some fun. It started subtly altering the star-spangled design on his chest, changing the red, white, and blue into red and yellow, slowly forming a letter.

Su Ming immediately smacked it back into place. "Oh, you're reading my memories now? Trying to imitate Clark Kent? What's so great about a Kryptonian?"

The symbiote straightened up, shivering a little, while Su Ming's surface rippled like water.

Su Ming sighed helplessly, letting the Magic Cloak lead him forward. He had already suspected that the symbiote, being rooted in his spine and connected through the spinal cord, could access his memories. X-metal likely wasn't enough to prevent it from reading his thoughts. Still, he hadn't expected it to do so so quickly.

Thankfully, it seemed to have selectively ignored his memories of the "real world."

Maybe it found those memories too boring—just daily routines of going to work, coming home, and using the computer. Either that or it didn't yet understand the concept of a "real world" and chose to disregard those memories.

At least it hadn't gone mad or turned traitor, which was a relief.

The scariest situation would be if the symbiote learned a bunch of things from its host, pretending to be clueless while secretly plotting.

That was exactly how Venom's first host had met his end. That Kree soldier believed Venom was still the same naive biological armor after witnessing his violent outbursts and sadistic games with other life forms.

But little did the soldier know, Venom had long grown disgusted with him and was already planning hundreds of ways to torment and kill him before leaving.

And so, that Kree soldier was done for. Venom had even calculated the trajectories of space debris to hitch a ride on a series of meteors, eventually landing on Earth.

But that's a story for another time. Right now, the "Venom" symbiote was probably still living in ignorance on its home planet, and these symbiotes on Earth were likely descendants of the "Great Dragon."

Su Ming floated through the sewers, his feet hovering just half a meter above the foul-smelling water. He was contemplating what strategy to use to lure Zemo to him.

He had indeed obtained Zemo's address from the guerrilla leader, but knowing Zemo's habits, that place was likely rigged with traps or, worse, just a decoy.

If Su Ming went there to capture Zemo, he would inevitably be forced into a reactive position, dealing with all sorts of tricks.

The best solution would be to use the Captain America disguise to bait Zemo into coming to him. Only Captain America, Zemo's "beloved," could provoke him into losing his cool.

That meant Su Ming needed to pick a suitable location, one where the German army wouldn't bombard him, to wait for Zemo to show up for a one-on-one fight—and then take him out.

There were several such places in Paris, and one in particular was quite close.

The Arc de Triomphe.

Choosing that spot was a well-thought-out decision. First of all, the Arc de Triomphe is one of Paris' most iconic landmarks, highly favored by Hitler himself, who praised its neoclassical architecture.

After France's surrender, Hitler had held a victory parade there, calling it "the most glorious moment of my life."

In Germany, anyone who dared destroy Hitler's fond memories might as well just prepare for death. In fact, death might be kinder than what would actually happen to them.

Secondly, beneath the Arc de Triomphe lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a memorial for French soldiers who died in World War I. If the Germans dared bomb that spot, the entire city of Paris would riot. The Parisian citizens would go mad, and the puppet government wouldn't be able to suppress such intense national sentiment. That wouldn't align with Hitler's current policy toward France.

Just as Hitler wasn't ready to sever ties with Hydra, Hydra wouldn't dare act rashly under the Führer's watchful eye, especially with German troops everywhere.

The Arc de Triomphe was the perfect location for a one-on-one duel. Plus, the view wasn't half bad, either.