Chapter 97: An Unexpected Call

For the time being, Gu Zhongyan did not need to worry too much about his own strength. After all, Iron Man had only just emerged, and those beings who surpassed the stars or even reached cosmic levels had yet to show themselves. His current power was more than sufficient to dominate, so he was not overly concerned.

Having absorbed the power of the Saint Vangonza Contract, his goal for this journey was essentially achieved, and he had even gained a Su Yan whose strength had soared. All in all, Gu Zhongyan was quite satisfied, and it was about time to prepare for the return.

However, before that, he still needed to see what Johnny Blaze intended to do.

Gu Zhongyan naturally hoped Johnny would join his team; after all, with the era of superhumans dawning, the Defenders Alliance was somewhat lacking in strength. They could handle ordinary disasters and opponents, but as more supervillains and supernatural forces appeared, the Alliance's ability to respond was increasingly limited.

Ghost Rider was different. His potential was immense, and when he truly exploded, even Gu Zhongyan was not confident he could defeat him. Moreover, the bug-like power of the Penance Stare could instantly kill nearly anyone below the level of a Heavenly Father.

Such talent would be wasted as merely a stunt rider.

Furthermore, beyond combat power, Gu Zhongyan was deeply interested in Ghost Rider himself. His current strength had almost reached the limits of what a human could achieve. To advance further, he needed to understand higher levels of life and power.

Ghost Rider's power originated from a fusion of the ancient Spirit of Vengeance and the ancient demon lord Zarathos. In terms of life level, they were on par with Odin, Mephisto, and other Heavenly Father-level entities.

If Johnny joined his team, it would undoubtedly provide valuable insight into understanding the Heavenly Father-level beings.

Just as Gu Zhongyan was about to summon his followers and teleport with Su Yan to Sacramento to have a proper conversation with Johnny Blaze, a phone call from Richard interrupted his plans.

“Hello, Richard. How’s Los Angeles? Did you run into any big stars in Hollywood? Su Yan and I are planning to head back soon…”

“Sean, are you able to come to Los Angeles right now? I need your help with something.”

Before Gu Zhongyan could finish, Richard cut him off, and perhaps sensing his words were not weighty enough, paused before adding,

“It’s very important. I’m counting on you.”

Hearing the unusual tone in Richard’s voice, Gu Zhongyan frowned slightly and nodded, “Of course. Give me an address, and I’ll find you right away.”

On the other end, Richard breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, “Thank you. I’ll be waiting for you under the Hollywood sign.”

“Are we going to Los Angeles?” As Gu Zhongyan closed his phone, Su Yan quickly asked.

Gu Zhongyan nodded, “Yes. Judging by Richard’s tone, he seems to have run into some trouble in Hollywood. It sounds quite urgent.”

“What about Johnny? Are we just going to leave him?” Su Yan asked.

Gu Zhongyan thought for a moment, “Let’s give him some more time to think. With his strength, he’ll be fine. Richard, on the other hand—you saw him when he left. If he’s contacting me, it must be a real emergency.”

“All right, enough talk. We’ll know more once we see Richard. If it’s not serious, we can always head back to Sacramento afterwards.” As he spoke, Gu Zhongyan extended his hand to Su Yan.

Su Yan nodded obediently and took Gu Zhongyan’s offered hand. The world spun, and the next moment, they were standing atop the famous Hollywood Hills, where nine towering letters spelled out ‘HOLLYWOOD’ on the mountaintop.

In the shadow of the giant ‘O’, Richard, dressed in a black-and-yellow special uniform, was idly playing with a blade of grass.

“Richard? What’s going on here?” Seeing this, Gu Zhongyan was puzzled; something seemed to have changed in Richard since he left.

“Sean?” Hearing his voice, Richard turned hurriedly, tossed aside the grass, and ran over.

“You came so fast—thank you for making it here.” Without hesitation, Richard gave Gu Zhongyan a bear hug, then crouched slightly and smiled at Su Yan.

“Su, it’s been days. Did you miss me?”

“I did.” Su Yan nodded vigorously.

Seeing this, Gu Zhongyan said, “All right, we can catch up later. Let’s hear what happened. Judging from your voice on the phone, it sounds like something serious.”

“And another thing,” Gu Zhongyan looked Richard up and down, circling him, “What’s with that uniform? Did you register with the actors’ guild and join a movie, planning to break into show business?”

“No, of course not. What are you thinking?” Richard rolled his eyes, then hesitated, looking troubled. “It’s complicated. Anyway, let’s go somewhere safe first and start from the beginning.”

He beckoned to them and headed toward the wooded hills.

Watching Richard lead the way, Gu Zhongyan and Su Yan exchanged a look, their faces tinged with confusion.

They’d assumed Richard wanted to meet here because the landmark made it easy to find, but after meeting up, instead of heading into the city, he led them into the deserted hills. It seemed strange.

As they walked, Gu Zhongyan noticed another oddity: Richard’s speed.

Though the hills outside Los Angeles weren’t steep or high, and the forest wasn’t dense, it was still wild terrain. Richard wasn’t an athlete—neither strong nor frail, just average—but in the woods, he moved as if on flat ground, faster than most seasoned hikers.

If Gu Zhongyan and Su Yan weren’t superhuman themselves, they might not have been able to keep up.

Clearly, much had happened in Richard’s absence.

Filled with questions, the two followed Richard through the woods, eventually stopping before an abandoned mansion.

The mansion must have been built atop the hill years ago, but due to a landslide, most of it was buried by rock, leaving only a few accessible entrances.

“This is the place. Come with me.”

Richard, clearly familiar, found a hidden entrance, bent down, and slipped inside.

Gu Zhongyan and Su Yan exchanged a glance, said nothing, and followed.

Inside, Gu Zhongyan discovered that, despite being buried, the main part of the mansion was intact. The furnishings were all in place, with many traces of human habitation.