I'm working on Marvel's Spider-Man in American comics.

Chapter 716 The Sons of Midnight are just a rabble

Inside the Sanctum Sanctorum's dining hall, Strange gathered the magical superheroes to discuss how to resolve the conspiracy that Mephisto had orchestrated by sneaking into Universe 616. Strange then began to explain the entire incident.

"First of all, we can be sure that after Mephisto came to our world, he basically did not contact any cultists or similar forces, nor did he cultivate any of his own forces—not counting Ghost Rider."

Strange didn't look at Ghost Rider while speaking, and Johnny didn't think there was anything wrong with it, so he just continued listening. Strange continued, "Mephisto made a fortune in Las Vegas using his magic, and then, in just a few months, he engaged in a stock market frenzy, ultimately accumulating a large amount of stock belonging to Roxon Energy."

At this point, Strange paused and looked at Peter, who quickly continued, "According to what the Avengers know, Ager, the president of Roxon Energy Corporation, has collaborated with Malekith of the Land of Mist and Loki of Asgard, among others. They have formed a faction that is attempting to rule the entire Nine Realms. Moreover, Roxon Energy Corporation, like the Hand, is one of Hydra's subordinate organizations."

AIM, the Hand, Roxon Energy, and of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the numerous forces within the now-defunct Soviet Union. Besides its core organization, Hydra has cultivated a large number of subordinate agencies, many of which possess considerable independence and can conduct their activities relatively autonomously. Some of these agencies have even developed a semi-independent relationship with Hydra, characterized by mutual exploitation.

Take Roxon Energy for example. It has caused such a huge incident, even getting involved with Malekith. The power it wields has exceeded Hydra's control. It's absolutely impossible for Hydra to completely agree to the Dark Elves' plot to conquer the Earth.

But it's impossible to say that Hydra didn't benefit itself while hindering Malekith.

"In other words, if we're going to take care of this...Mephisto, we also need to keep an eye on Hydra." After listening, Moon Knight Jack gave his first opinion: "Um, who is Mephisto?"

Everyone present fell silent. Strange looked at Moon Knight: "Have you read Faust?"

"No."

"Don't you play D&D? Or Diablo?"

"I drive a taxi."

Strange was speechless, sighed helplessly, and then moved on from the topic: "In short, this is the part we need to be wary of. Of course, what we need to be even more wary of is Mephisto himself. Although he has left our universe, we need to be careful. Mephisto is not only a powerful demon who controls the entire Hell, but he is also an incredibly powerful dimensional demon god..."

Iliana raised her hand: "We killed a dimensional demon, or maybe we didn't kill it, but we drove it away."

"First of all, we've already deployed enough forces to fight Velasco. Secondly, while Velasco isn't among the weakest dimensional demons, he's only in the middle tier..."

Iliana exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! Unbelievable! Velasco isn't even the weakest? What level is the weakest dimensional demon god?"

Strange sighed helplessly: "If you choose to take the next step and control Limbo, then you'll be in that class."

And so Iliana and Strange started arguing. Moon Knight sat there completely bewildered, while Blade turned to the King standing to the side and asked, "Aren't you going to offer everyone a cup of coffee or something?"

“First of all, I am not the Sorcerer Supreme’s steward,” Wang said with a serious smile. “I am the Sorcerer Supreme’s deputy and assistant.”

“I don’t see the difference.” “Secondly, people in Kamar-Taj don’t usually drink coffee; we drink tea.”

"I don't mind."

Out of personal courtesy, Ironfist said nothing; out of the mage's professionalism, Voodoo Doctor said nothing; and out of disregard for those present, Bloodstone Elsa was cleaning her gun.

Because no one dared to stare at him, Johnny Blazer looked up at the ceiling.

However, Moon Knight wasn't the only one completely unaware of what was happening. Wanda, who was sitting next to Peter and only knew Peter and Strange, took advantage of the moment when Strange and Illana started arguing to whisper to Peter, "What happened? Why is even a devil like Mephisto from a literary work showing up?"

"...It's a long story, but I'll make it short."

Ultimately, this whole thing comes down to Peter. When dealing with Nimrod, he used his abilities to tear a hole in the reality barrier of Earth 616, allowing Mephisto to sneak in for a while. Later, when the Kang Dynasty broke out and Mephisto's plans were forcibly interrupted, Peter was even considered an ally.

Of course, Strange discovered them during the process and called them away.

After Peter and Wanda finished speaking, Strange's argument also subsided. After pressing Iliana back down, Strange then explained an important point: "That's not what I wanted to say. What I wanted to say is that during Mephisto's stay on Earth, he purchased a large amount, you could say a massive amount, of Roxon Energy stock."

Moon Knight chimed in again: "You already said that once."

"Of course I know! What I'm saying is that these stocks have changed! Almost all of these stocks have been sold off, and what's very strange is that they've been sold to a large number of retail investors, rather than some wealthy individual."

After rebuking Moon Knight, Strange rolled his eyes helplessly: "And because they are retail investors, these shares were distributed to thousands of people and circulated very quickly."

"You mean, if Mephisto manipulated these stocks, then everyone who handled them is a suspect?"

After listening, Bloodstone shook his head: "This is not a hundred years ago. Nowadays, stocks are nothing more than a string of electronic symbols."

“It’s not that simple.” Johnny offered a different perspective: “These stocks are still considered ‘contracts,’ and the devil is best at manipulating contracts.”

At this point, as the person most familiar with Mephisto, he looked at Strange: "What do these people have in common?"

"Yes, all the retail investors who trade these stocks live in New York."

(End of this chapter)