Rather than taking his captives to the Hellfire Club mansion, Richard reappeared on a secluded rooftop several blocks away from the hotel. The area was deserted, providing them with complete privacy.
As Richard's mental energy invaded Ying Li's body, she remained frozen in place, control of her limbs completely severed. The shock on her face transformed into confusion and then concern.
Though she and Ying Nan had come to San Francisco, Ying Li knew little about Richard beyond what she'd seen in news reports. When he immobilized her with telepathy, her first instinct was to channel the Chi energy flowing through her body to break free of his mental grasp.
To her dismay, she couldn't access her Chi at all.
Trouble! Her expression darkened with realization.
Without preamble, Richard used his telepathic abilities to delve into Ying Li's memories.
With minimal effort, he extracted the information he sought, his brow furrowing slightly as he processed what he discovered.
Though this universe's Shang-Chi wasn't Ying Li's child, he was indeed the offspring of Wenwu and a Ta Lo guardian—the daughter of Guang Bo.
Just as in the cinematic universe, Wenwu in this reality had developed an intense fascination with Ta Lo. However, in the enchanted forest, he had encountered not Ying Li but Guang Bo's daughter.
What followed was predictable. After an initial confrontation turned to attraction, they fell in love. Guang Bo's daughter abandoned her duties as Ta Lo's guardian and eloped with Wenwu.
But unlike Ying Li in the films, who had inspired Wenwu to consider abandoning his criminal empire, Guang Bo's daughter hadn't prompted such a transformation. Instead, Wenwu had become even more ruthless after their marriage, using her knowledge of mystical arts to enhance the Ten Rings' operations.
She had given birth to Shang-Chi, but rather than dying from illness as in the original timeline, she had been murdered—killed by enemies of the Ten Rings who had discovered her connection to Ta Lo and sought to steal its secrets.
Wenwu's response had been swift and brutal. He had eliminated everyone even remotely connected to his wife's death, then began the systematic psychological destruction of his own son, believing that only through absolute control could he prevent further loss.
The memories Richard extracted showed the true extent of Wenwu's monstrosity. The man had turned his grief into a weapon against his own child, subjecting Shang-Chi to years of brutal training and psychological manipulation that would have broken most adults, let alone a child.
Richard's mental probe revealed not only the connection between Shang-Chi and Ta Lo, but also why Ying Li and Ying Nan had left their homeland to track him in San Francisco.
The Great Protector's instructions!
They had received a divine mandate from the dragon guardian of Ta Lo, tasking them with returning the wayward Shang-Chi to his ancestral homeland. However, after witnessing what the young man had become—a traumatized soul desperately trying to build a normal life—they had begun to question whether bringing him back was truly in his best interest.
Having pieced together the complete narrative, Richard contemplated his next move. After brief consideration, he used his telepathic powers to alter Ying Li's subconscious mind.
Though tampering with a woman's mind hardly qualified as gentlemanly behavior, Richard had never considered himself a gentleman. The revelation of Shang-Chi's tragic past had affected his plans, but not his methods.
Despite Ying Li's supernatural heritage, Richard found altering her subconscious surprisingly effortless. After completing these modifications, he released her from her mental paralysis.
Unaware of Richard's psychic intervention, Ying Li noticed something profoundly wrong the moment she regained control of her body. Her hostility toward Richard had diminished significantly. Worse still, whenever thoughts of confronting him surfaced, she felt an instinctive resistance from within.
"What have you done to me?" she demanded, regarding Richard warily.
"Nothing significant," he replied with calm detachment. "Just enough to ensure your continued survival."
Ying Li frowned at his response. After a moment's hesitation, she pressed further: "What do you want? Why spare Shang-Chi after clearly intending to kill him?"
"I needn't explain my reasons for sparing him," Richard stated. "As for my intentions, I plan to visit Ta Lo."
Ta Lo?
Unaware that Richard had accessed her memories, Ying Li's expression transformed to one of intense vigilance at the mention of her homeland.
Though she remained silent, Richard recognized her thoughts. "Your suspicion is correct. I intend to conquer Ta Lo."
"It's an exceptional realm. I admire it greatly and plan to claim it as my private domain," he continued casually. "Don't worry—I have no interest in ruling your people. I simply desire the land itself."
"Naturally, during my conquest, I'll address the matter of the Soul Eaters and the Dweller-in-Darkness imprisoned behind the Dark Gate."
"But first, I need to handle a more pressing matter—Wenwu and his organization."
Upon hearing Richard's plan to eliminate Wenwu, Ying Li instinctively assumed a combat stance. Yet strangely, she remained frozen in position, her expression betraying confusion.
It wasn't reluctance that stayed her hand, but an inexplicable inability to attack. Her body actively resisted any aggressive movement toward Richard.
Realizing something was profoundly wrong, she attempted to channel the Chi energy coursing through her veins. Despite her concentrated efforts, her body maintained its rigid resistance to confronting Richard.
"Don't waste your energy," he advised. "You cannot harm me. More importantly, you cannot refuse my commands."
After noting Ying Li's youthful appearance compared to her cinematic counterpart, Richard had decisively added her to his mental roster of potential conquests. Among the female characters from Marvel's cinematic universe, few had captured his interest. Ying Li was among those select few.
"I will never obey your commands!" Ying Li declared defiantly.
"That choice isn't yours to make," Richard countered. "Since you doubt me, I'll provide a demonstration. I find your martial arts intriguing. Perform a complete sequence for me."
"I don't want to—" Before Ying Li could complete her refusal, her body moved of its own accord, stepping backward several paces.
Under Richard's watchful gaze, she executed a flawless martial arts sequence, her movements fluid and precise despite her internal resistance.
Several minutes later, Ying Li stared at her hands in disbelief, unable to comprehend her involuntary compliance.
"As I stated, you cannot disobey my instructions now," Richard explained. "A martial arts demonstration is trivial. If I commanded more... intimate performances, you would comply with equal obedience."
Though his tone remained clinical, his words struck Ying Li like lightning. As her thoughts turned to whether the Great Protector might restore her autonomy, Richard continued: "Don't misunderstand—I may indulge certain appetites, but I wouldn't request such performances in public spaces."
"In the privacy of a bedroom, exclusively for my viewing... that would be another matter entirely."
Though Richard could have completely erased her memories and conditioned her to willingly obey his every command, he had intentionally avoided this approach. His reasoning was simple: it lacked sufficient entertainment value.
"Shameless!" Ying Li spat the accusation.
"I accept your compliment," Richard replied with a smirk.
Ignoring Ying Li's rebuke, Richard stepped forward and encircled her slender waist with his arms.
Ying Li's first instinct was to push him away, but her body refused to obey her commands. Unable to physically resist his advance, she could only raise her head and glare at him with fierce indignation.
Richard remained unmoved by her contempt. He reached out with one hand to grasp the Dijiang hovering nearby.
Teleport!
In an instant, he transported Ying Li and the Dijiang from the rooftop to the apartment where she and her sister had been staying.
Ying Li and Ying Nan had arrived in San Francisco a week earlier and quickly located Shang-Chi. Unfortunately, they had failed to convince him to return to Ta Lo with them. Neither woman had been willing to resort to kidnapping, so they had decided to remain in San Francisco temporarily, hoping to gradually persuade him.
Upon materializing in the apartment, Richard immediately spotted Ying Nan—obviously Ying Li's sister, despite appearing older, more like a maternal figure than a sibling.
Before Ying Nan could speak, Richard froze her consciousness and body with telepathy. Turning to Ying Li, he announced:
"I'll implant false memories in Ying Nan, making her believe I'm your new San Francisco boyfriend."
The moment Richard finished speaking, Ying Li protested, "I'll tell her the truth!"
"That's your choice," he replied with indifference. "But I advise against it. If the false memories I implant conflict with her actual recollections, I can't guarantee she won't suffer cognitive damage from the contradiction."
Ying Li's brow furrowed at his warning.
"You... you're despicable scum!" she hissed.
"Merely despicable? I would have added 'lascivious' to the description," Richard replied with a smirk.
"You will definitely face retribution for this!" Ying Li declared, her tone deadly serious.
"Does evil always receive its due punishment?" Richard countered. "If cosmic justice were truly reliable, this world would have become a paradise long ago."
With that, Richard turned his attention to Ying Nan, ignoring Ying Li's glare as he began implanting false memories. The process required minimal effort. Upon completion, he released Ying Nan from her mental paralysis.
As awareness returned to her eyes, Ying Nan regarded Richard and Ying Li with confusion. "Why have you returned so early? Has something happened with Shang-Chi?"
"Shang-Chi is... safe for now," Richard stated matter-of-factly. "But we encountered some complications. His father's people are looking for him."
"Wenwu?" Ying Nan's features creased with concern.
Though Shang-Chi's mother had left Ta Lo years earlier, she had once been part of their community. More specifically, she had been their cousin, making Shang-Chi their nephew by blood relation.
"The situation is more complex than we initially understood," Richard replied. "Wenwu has become something far worse than we imagined. The boy has been systematically traumatized."
When implanting false memories in Ying Nan, Richard had also manipulated her subconscious attitude toward the situation. This hadn't proven particularly difficult, as the sisters had only had limited interaction with Shang-Chi before this mission.
"What about the Great Protector's instructions?" Ying Nan asked with a frown. "The dragon tasked us with bringing Shang-Chi back to Ta Lo."
"That's easily resolved," Richard assured her. "I'll accompany you both back to Ta Lo."
"Though I don't know precisely why the Great Protector wanted Shang-Chi to return, I suspect it relates to the Soul Eaters and the Dweller-in-Darkness sealed behind the Dark Gate."
"If the dragon merely seeks to address the Dweller-in-Darkness, Shang-Chi's presence is irrelevant. I can handle the creature myself."
Richard's confidence was unmistakable as he addressed Ying Nan.
Though she sensed something wasn't quite right, Ying Nan did not pursue the matter further. "When do we return to Ta Lo? Now?"
"Let's visit Los Angeles first," Richard suggested. "Aren't you upset about Wenwu's treatment of Guang Yuelin's son? Before returning to Ta Lo, we should teach him a lesson."
The "Guang Yuelin" Richard mentioned was Shang-Chi's mother. From reading Ying Li's memories, he had learned that the sisters had recently destroyed a Ten Rings base in San Francisco not to locate Shang-Chi, but to express their grievances against Wenwu for what he had done to their cousin's child.
By that point, they had already found Shang-Chi working as a parking attendant and made contact with him, though he had refused to return to Ta Lo with them—too terrified of anything that might connect him to his father's world.
"Excellent," Ying Nan replied eagerly. "When do we leave?"
The prospect of confronting the man who had destroyed her cousin's son clearly appealed to her.
"Tomorrow," Richard decided. "You've been in San Francisco for some time but haven't truly explored the city. Let's enjoy a day here before heading to Los Angeles."
"In that case, there are several places I'd like to visit," Ying Nan declared, preparing to depart.
Richard reached into his system space and produced a Centurion Black Card, which he handed to Ying Nan.
"Shopping requires funds. Use my card and purchase whatever you desire—don't concern yourself with prices."
Though Ying Nan might not recognize what the Centurion Black Card represented, she clearly understood that Richard had no shortage of wealth. Despite their brief time in San Francisco, they had encountered numerous reports about him in the media.
Accepting the offered card, Ying Nan smiled. "Then I won't stand on ceremony. You two enjoy your time together."
With that, she left the apartment.
As soon as Ying Nan departed, Ying Li, who had remained silent throughout the exchange, turned to Richard with evident displeasure. "Do you find it amusing to manipulate others' memories?"
"Without such intervention, Ying Nan would have fought to free you," Richard explained calmly. "Had she confronted me, she would have become my enemy."
"My approach to enemies has always been consistent—eliminate them completely."
"If you find my implantation of false memories unacceptable, I can remove them. Are you prepared to watch her battle me to the death?"
At Richard's blunt assessment, Ying Li fell silent.
After several moments, she finally asked, "Can you truly defeat the Dweller-in-Darkness and the Soul Eaters?"
"The Dweller-in-Darkness and Soul Eaters aren't as formidable as you believe," Richard replied dismissively, settling onto the living room sofa. "Rather than considering them exceptionally powerful, it would be more accurate to say that your people are simply too weak to destroy them completely, forcing you to rely on sealing them away."
For the inhabitants of Ta Lo, the Dweller-in-Darkness and Soul Eaters indeed posed a significant threat. For Richard, however, they represented a manageable challenge. If nothing else, the hellfire he had claimed from the Spirit of Vengeance would prove effective against such entities.
"They are not weak!" Ying Li insisted. "If you can truly defeat them, I will... forgive you for what you've done to me and my sister."
Her attitude had clearly softened. At minimum, she no longer regarded Richard as an outright enemy.
"Mere forgiveness?" Richard responded with a sly smile. "I expected you to offer physical compensation for my services. After all, I'd be eliminating a threat that has endangered Ta Lo for millennia."
Richard wasn't surprised by Ying Li's shifting attitude. The Dweller-in-Darkness and Soul Eaters had perpetually loomed over Ta Lo like the sword of Damocles, fundamentally altering the realm's development.
Without these threats, Ta Lo would never have evolved into a community of warriors, constantly vigilant against breaches of the Dark Gate's seal.
"Only a fool would offer themselves to you!" Ying Li retorted, turning away and retreating to her bedroom, no longer acknowledging Richard's presence.
As night fell, Ying Nan returned to the apartment after a day of extravagant shopping. Upon entering, she discovered the dinner Ying Li had prepared.
Ta Lo's culinary traditions closely resembled Chinese cuisine. Even in San Francisco, acquiring the necessary ingredients posed little challenge.
Seeing the spread her sister had prepared, Ying Nan eagerly took her place at the table. "Sister, didn't you say yesterday that cooking was too troublesome? What changed your mind today?"
Before Ying Li could respond, Richard interjected smoothly, "Ying Li mentioned wanting to demonstrate her exceptional culinary skills to expand my horizons. That's when she decided to cook."
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Marvel : The God Of Punishment System
I Am Raditz
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