Chapter 114: The Second-Generation Black Widow (Bonus Chapter 3/50 of The Silver Idol Zhuo Xiao)

Was General Drauski’s right arm not crippled?

In truth, when the strike landed on his chest, the force behind the palm was indeed soft and weak.

However, that was not the point. The point was the new world Yelena had just witnessed—she saw her own soul transcending beyond the physical, catching a glimpse of that infinite, boundless realm that the Ancient One had once revealed to Mei Mumu.

In its specifics, of course, it was different. Mei Mumu had no intention of making her a sorcerer; his goal was merely to let her experience what it truly meant to be a powerhouse in this world. To put it bluntly, this was a soul invasion by Mei Jiecāo.

He did not show her the vast, star-like multitude of cosmic entities; he only showed her the Supreme Sorcerer from 2016 at full throttle—the wild, cool, and dominant version of Mei Mumu.

Yelena felt, with terrifying clarity, what it was like for Mei Mumu to face the Dark Dimension ruler Dormammu in single combat.

Within that illusory soul-realm, Mei Jiecāo was ruthlessly tormenting the young girl. Never mind his "kind" gesture of providing her with various advanced firearms that would have seemed cutting-edge in early 1943—machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, it didn't matter. In the eyes of a 2016 powerhouse, these were nothing more than projectiles with a bit of speed, ultimately useless.

They stood no chance of breaching even the simplest magical shield Mei Mumu manifested within the illusion.

And so, Yelena suffered through n-number of ways to die!

Torn to pieces by magical whips!
Pierced through by the Vatu Magic Sword!
Impaled by countless semi-transparent magic blades!
Battered to death by fists and kicks after he flashed behind her using magical boots!

She could feel the agony in her body and soul with harrowing vividness—she did not know that Mei Mumu had simply copied and pasted the sensations of his own brutal defeats at the hands of Dormammu directly into her mind.

After dying for the eighteenth time within the "Divine Revelation" that opened her soul, Yelena broke down.

Facing Mei Mumu as he charged at her with overwhelming momentum once more, she collapsed onto the illusory ground, falling to her knees in surrender, weeping uncontrollably.

"I was wrong! I was truly wrong! I shouldn't have been so arrogant, trying to claim the title of the world's strongest! Chief Instructor, I was wrong! Please, spare me!"

Mei Mumu stood proudly before her, though he retracted the terrifying aura of one who could slaughter all things. With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked down at her coldly. "Tell me, why do you crave power? Why do you desire to be the strongest?"

"It... it is because I am afraid! My parents and family were all slaughtered by the Germans. I am afraid, and I crave safety. I crave something that can protect me. I'm sorry! Chief Instructor! I am not as strong as others imagine! I am actually insecure, and cowardly!"

Yelena sobbed uncontrollably. In this moment, where was the poise of an elite recruit of the Red Room, the first candidate for the Black Widow program?

She was now just a child, finally stripped of her willfulness and arrogance, utterly terrified.

Mei Mumu watched her weep in silence. Time slipped away, second by second. Of course, in a state of soul-severance, the flow of time differed from the outside world.

When she finally finished crying, Yelena crawled over and clung to his leg. "Chief Instructor, what must I do for you to grant me power?"

Mei Mumu replied coldly, "You are not suited to be an ultimate powerhouse. Those who harbor fear will have limited achievements. All you can do is obtain a measure of strength and cling to the wings of a true powerhouse."

Yelena shivered. "The Motherland..."

Mei Mumu said in a deep voice, "Nothing is eternal, and there is no kingdom in this world that will not eventually fall."

These words, hinting at the fate of the Soviet Union's collapse, deeply stung Yelena’s young heart.

"Instructor, are you saying that the Motherland will be destroyed?"

Mei Mumu nodded with a mysterious, sage-like air. "I... have seen that the Soviet Union will dissolve at the end of the century. And you... thanks to the success of the genetic serum, you will have a longer life than the Soviet Union itself. When that time comes, how will you fend for yourself?"

Yelena was completely stunned.

It was true! If she lived longer than her Motherland, where would her future lie?

Then, she immediately reacted, cursing herself in her heart: "I am such an idiot! A man like a god is standing right before me. If I don't throw my lot in with him, do I have a better choice? Am I just going to leave the Red Room as a mortal without any power, becoming a mere cog in the state’s machine, a piece of cannon fodder to be discarded at any moment?"

Yelena no longer hesitated, clutching Mei Mumu’s leg even tighter.

"Instructor..."

"Still calling me Instructor?" Mei Mumu asked with a faint, enigmatic smile.

"Master! Yes, Master! I, Yelena Belova, will become your most loyal servant. Please, Master, grant me power!" In her eyes, her most honest desires were laid bare.

Sometimes, people are just like this. Extreme inferiority often leads to extreme arrogance. Extreme fear and a lack of security drive the hunger for more, for greater power. Mortals may try to chase down the strong, but when they discover the chasm between them is as wide as heaven and earth, what follows is surrender and resignation.

After witnessing true power, Yelena, just as Mei Mumu had expected, chose to surrender and submit.

Mei Mumu was satisfied. He retracted the "Divine Revelation" from his soul, and they instantly returned to reality.

To an outside observer, it looked as if Mei Mumu had merely pushed Yelena away with his semi-disabled arm. In reality, only the two of them knew what had just transpired. If Yelena had any lingering doubts after coming to her senses, the moment a small magic circle appeared on Mei Mumu's left hand, she immediately knelt in terror.

Mei Mumu walked over, his aura of mystical authority at its peak, and used his left index finger—glowing with the magic circle—to tap her between the brows.

Yes, a "Legendary Assassin Growth Template Card" had been deployed.

On the card was a beautiful woman with strange blue hair and bronze skin. Two black ribbons draped from her neck choker, covering her chest, serving as the only adornment on her upper body. Her hands hung low, each holding a dagger in a reverse grip.

The name on the card was "Hassan of the Serenity"!

This name might be unfamiliar to many, but the term "Assassin" would be known to far more. The word originated from the Hashshashin sect, which emerged in North Africa in the mid-12th century, known as the ancestors of all assassins in the Western world.

Among the Hashshashin, the most famous title was "The Old Man of the Mountain," and she was one of the many who had inherited the name of Hassan-i Sabbah, the Old Man of the Mountain.

In a sense, this legendary assassin growth template was third-rate, little more than a chicken rib. Mei Mumu didn't mind performing a small experiment on this Yelena, whom he didn't know well.

Unexpectedly, a surprise occurred.

"Ding!" A system notification chimed.

"Congratulations to the host for altering the destiny of the second-generation Black Widow, Yelena Belova. Obtained 3 Fate Deviation Points."

Ah! What? There’s such a thing?

Mei Mumu really hadn't known that there were so many generations of Black Widows.