"During China's recent era of turmoil, a boy was born in a small village in the north. He lost his mother at a young age and studied traditional Chinese martial arts under his father. His father was Mongolian, therefore the boy always claid to be a descendant of Genghis Khan. Along his journey of mastering martial arts, he encountered many unusual people and events, which led him to acquire a power far greater than martial arts."
"He erged too long ago for his records to be explicit. Only the scriptures of certain mysterious Eastern organizations offer a brief account of him, referring to him as the 'Mandarin' (a transliteration of Man Da Ren)."
The voice of Stick seed to originate from a faraway place, his English dialect tinged with an Oriental layer, allowing listeners to feel a sense of ancient charm. He continued, "People only knew that Mandarin's trendous power originated from the 'Ten Commandnts'."
"The so-called Ten Commandnts refer to ten powerful rings. They emboldened Mandarin with ambition to rule the world. From that era onwards, he began amassing his own power, rallying people to his cause and establishing an organization, which eventually beca known as 'The Ten Commandnts'."
"For a prolonged period, The Ten Commandnts was a renowned mysterious organization in the Eastern Continent, notorious for being evil, fiercely venemous, and powerful."
"However, this didn't last long. After the turmoil in that country ca to an end, Mandarin – and his Ten Commandnts organization – faced the sa fate as the majority of other mysterious organizations on that ancient land: they could either retreat into their dens, or face total annihilation."
"Mandarin refused both options, still desiring to seize control of the country. Using his ten remarkable and powerful rings, he was not the only one with such an ambition. Regrettably, they all were ultimately forced to choose the latter."
"Indeed, Mandarin's Ten Commandnts were exceptionally formidable, allowing him barely to chart out a third path — fleeing. The Eastern Continent was vast; if he ran far enough, the chase would no longer be cost-effective. With China in that era not concerned about a fleeting, beaten soldier, Mandarin's pursuit was not prioritized."
"In recent tis, that country's growing power – along with its strengthening control over border regions – caused Mandarin to retreat, ti and ti again. Undoubtedly, both we and he understood that one day he would be expelled from this land, a prospect he was not willing to accept."
"But regardless of his dissatisfaction, an organization like SWORD wields ten or even a hundred tis more control over its territory than S.H.I.E.L.D. With the relentless onslaught from SWORD, Mandarin was unable to ensure his safety and hence, began planning his escape."
"So, if he can't beat SWORD, is he trying to flee to S.H.I.E.L.D's territory?" Xu Shang-Chi summarized the story briefly. "Where is his ambition of ruling the world? Has he ever ruled? Without a territory of his own, living the life of a wanderer and fugitive, isn't he rely a felon?"
Stick, the storyteller, looked surprised at the young man's perspective. Seldom do Westerners consider territory. To them, the focus was on the sheer power of the rings.
However, the Chinese youth before him had a very typical Eastern mindset — what's the use of the Divine Artifact in ruling the world?
So see Liu Bei as a wise ruler, others view Cao Cao as a powerful lord. But does anyone regard Lv Bu, with the Sky Halberd and Red Rabbit Horse, as a world-conquering overlord? Without territory or a populace, what use are these weapons and his steed?
Since the ti of the Zhou Emperor, territory was essential when granting fiefs. Only those with land could be feudal lords. The fight for world dominance was like a ga of chess; land and people were the prerequisites to join the table. One could vie for domination without wealth, power, or even righteousness, but having one's own territory was absolutely necessary.
From Xu Shang-Chi's point of view, Mandarin had been playing a risky ga along the fringe line for a very long ti. Without steady territory, he couldn't farm, resulting in a lack of food and resources. If all goods had to be purchased, wouldn't he be done for if no one sold to him?
Isn't all this just the life of a vagabond?
"You an, if Mandarin can't beat SWORD, he's planning to stir up trouble in S.H.I.E.L.D's territory?" Riley asked with a furrowed brow. "And his thod is to incite protest movents in the Bronx?"
"Mandarin has been scheming for years, and there's a shadow of The Ten Commandnts in every nation around the globe. No one knows to what extent they've infiltrated." Stick shook his head, "Perhaps, they even have people inside S.H.I.E.L.D."
Xu Shang-Chi's mouth hung open; he wanted to say that there were likely more than just mbers of The Ten Commandnts inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
Just then, he realized a serious problem. Stick's words served as a reminder: even if he just watched the movies, he still knew that there were a lot of Hydra mbers inside S.H.I.E.L.D., and the phrase "Snake Shield" was notorious.
Upon this realization, Xu Shang-Chi beca tense. The doctor was the person who had treated him the best since he ca to this world. Now the doctor was stationed at S.H.I.E.L.D., which was infiltrated by nurous Hydra agents. Was the doctor in danger?
"Worry about him, rather than yourself," ca Venom's voice in Xu Shang-Chi's mind.
However, this sentence had a different implication to Xu Shang-Chi. Venom had previously dwelled within Eddie, who was currently working in S.H.I.E.L.D. Thus, did Venom's words confirm his previous thought that Hydra was inside S.H.I.E.L.D. and the doctor might be in danger?
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