Ch. 312 The Justice League Academy

The Justice League Headquarters.

After having breakfast with Diana at the headquarters, Russell used his teleportation magic to leave the Justice League Headquarters, taking Diana with him.

It had been a month since they had attacked the Kree fleet.

After extensive and costly repairs and modifications, No. 3 had finally completed the transformation of the Kree warships.

Today was the day for Russell to inspect the Kree warships.

Wait!

Strictly speaking, it was the day to inspect the Justice League warships.

Through the portal, Russell and Diana arrived at Edwards Air Force Base in California, which was situated on the dry lake bed of Rogers Dry Lake.

On the dry lake bed next to the base, three warships with a distinct extraterrestrial design were parked.

Although No. 3 had made some repairs and modifications to the warships, they still couldn't fundamentally change the essence of the Kree warships.

For one thing, the Kree warships had a different design than the streamlined style found on Earth; they stood upright.

Apart from the unique structure, the materials and design philosophy used in these warships were entirely different from those on Earth.

Looking at these three warships, their hulls painted in jet black, Russell nodded in satisfaction.

While these warships didn't exactly match his aesthetic preferences, he was still satisfied with the extent of their transformation.

More importantly, what he wanted were interstellar warships.

As for other details, they weren't particularly important.

After Russell and Diana stepped out of the portal, Hulk and Quicksilver, who had been here for a month already, immediately approached them.

"The repairs and modifications on the warships are complete. When can we return to New York?" Quicksilver asked Russell.

After spending a month at this remote Air Force base, he felt like he was turning into a recluse.

If it weren't for his unwillingness to disobey Russell's orders, he would have left secretly long ago.

"Today!" Russell replied to Quicksilver.

"Good!" Quicksilver said, smiling with satisfaction upon hearing Russell's answer.

After inspecting the warships, Russell sat in the captain's chair on the flagship's bridge and said to No. 3, which had already taken control of the warships, "Take off!"

"Of course, sir!" No. 3's voice sounded in the bridge.

Then, the flagship, which was one size larger than the escort cruisers, began to ascend, and the engines in the rear emitted a dazzling light blue flame.

As the flagship slowly ascended, the other two escort cruisers also started their engines and began to ascend.

Although the Justice League now had a considerable number of personnel, Russell didn't assign too many people to the warships.

The responsibility of piloting and daily maintenance of the warships fell to the intelligent robots created by No. 3.

As for the warship's operating systems, they had all been modified by No. 3 to run on his own programs.

From a certain perspective, these three warships were like extensions of No. 3 himself.

After the warships ascended to an altitude of several thousand meters, their engines emitted even brighter flames.

Although the warships were now flying at high speed towards outer space, Russell and the others inside the warships didn't feel any significant increase in gravity.

A few dozen seconds later, all three modified warships had reached outer space.

Through the enormous observation window in front of the bridge, Russell saw the deep blue Earth below.

"Begin regular patrol!" Russell instructed No. 3.

"Of course, sir!" No. 3's voice rang out once again.

Bringing the warships into outer space was just the first step. According to the plan, No. 3 would control the warships for routine patrols in outer space, making these three warships the Justice League's firepower platform in space. Whenever they received orders from Russell or from the Justice League headquarters, the warships in outer space would launch attacks on ground targets.

From a strategic point of view, this was similar to the United States' aircraft carrier fleet patrolling the oceans. The difference was that one was long-range attacks from the oceans, and the other was long-range attacks from space.

When the warships began their planned patrol, Russell opened a portal to return to the Justice League Headquarters.

The Justice League Headquarters.

After returning from outer space with the warships, Russell went to his study alone.

With the surrender of the American government, he had mostly resolved his affairs on Earth.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had been disbanded.

HYDRA had become his private force.

As for other threats, such as the Inhumans and the Titans, they posed a low-level threat and didn't require his immediate attention.

Furthermore, with the acquisition of various assets that originally belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D., including the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, the Justice League had officially begun recruiting personnel from the outside world.

When Russell first established the Justice League, he had promoted the idea that the Justice League welcomed individuals with aspirations to join.

Although later additions to the Justice League were mostly his own choices, now that the Justice League's influence had grown, he needed a large number of personnel to handle less critical matters.

After thinking for a few minutes, he summoned Skye and Natasha to his study.

Soon, Skye and Natasha, dressed in black combat uniforms, arrived at the study.

After observing the two of them for a few seconds, Russell said, "You should already be aware of the Justice League Academy's situation."

"Now, the academy has begun enrolling students, but it's still missing a headmaster."

"I want to choose one of you two to be the headmaster of the Justice League Academy. What are your thoughts on this?"

In terms of abilities, Phil Coulson and Agent Hill, the former high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, were undoubtedly more suitable.

However, Russell didn't even consider them.

While Coulson and Hill had the necessary skills, he still didn't completely trust them at this point.

For other positions, it might have been fine, but he couldn't entrust the role of headmaster of the Justice League Academy to Coulson and Hill. Who knew if they would secretly convey some S.H.I.E.L.D. ideologies to the students of the academy?

The Justice League Academy was a talent pool for the Justice League, and Russell would only entrust it to individuals he fully trusted.

Skye was a given.

Although her main reason for joining the Justice League was to find information about her parents, she had fulfilled her duties well after joining the Justice League and had proven her reliability and loyalty through her actions.

As for Natasha, if it had been half a month ago, Russell wouldn't have considered her for the role of headmaster of the Justice League Academy.

However, after this half-month of evaluation, Natasha had once again gained his trust.

He hadn't brainwashed Natasha again, but he had used magic to examine her and confirmed that Natasha was now trustworthy.

"I haven't been with the Justice League for very long, and my abilities and experience still need to improve," Skye said. "So, I think Natasha would be better suited for the role of headmaster of the Justice League Academy."

Skye spoke first. After she finished, Russell turned to Natasha and asked, "What about you? What do you think?"

Upon hearing his question, Natasha didn't immediately respond; instead, she contemplated for a moment.

Over a minute later, Natasha spoke slowly, "My abilities aren't suitable for the role of headmaster of the Justice League Academy. While Skye is young, with some training, I believe she can handle the position."

Just like Skye, Natasha also recommended the other for the role of headmaster of the Justice League Academy.

Seeing them recommending each other, Russell sighed in resignation.

The Justice League may have many people now, but there aren't too many people whom he truly trusts.

Diana is already in charge of the Justice League, and appointing her as the head of the academy would only make her busier.

As for Gwen and Kara, among others, they wouldn't be suitable for the role of the head of the Justice League Academy, let alone leading a small team.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Russell said to Skye and Natasha, "Since you both have recommended each other for the position of the head of the Justice League Academy, why don't you both take on the role together?"

"Co-heads!"

Upon hearing Russell's words, both Skye and Natasha were taken aback.

They hadn't expected Russell to make such an arrangement.

"Is that really a good idea?" Natasha, with her more extensive experience, immediately thought of the potential complications that could arise from a co-head system.

"There's nothing wrong with it. In the underworld, there are gangs that use a co-head system," Russell said. "If even members of the underworld can manage it, surely you both can handle it."

Russell told Natasha this with a look that brooked no refusal.

Seeing his expression, Natasha sighed.

"Alright, since you put it that way, then Skye and I will both be the heads of the Academy."

After Natasha agreed with a nod, Skye had no choice but to accept.

With the selection of the co-heads for the Justice League Academy settled, Russell left the Justice League Headquarters and used his portal magic to arrive at the Octopus Monster Industries Headquarters, where he hadn't been for some time.

Octopus Monster Industries Headquarters.

Chairman's office.

During the time Russell was away from Earth, Diana had been handling the affairs of the Octopus Monster Industries Industries.

After his return, he had been busy dealing with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain Marvel.

Once S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain Marvel were dealt with, he had been busy with the warships and the matters of the New York Enclave.

Later, when Captain America, Natasha, and others joined the Justice League, he had to spend time handling the personnel and assets of the former S.H.I.E.L.D.

It was only after the warships took off and the matters of the Justice League Academy were resolved that he finally had time to deal with Octopus Monster Industries.

Upon arriving at the office, he summoned his blonde secretary, Ellie.

Although some time had passed since they last met, Ellie was still as charming as ever, exuding a seductive aura.

Dressed in an office lady suit, with high heels clicking lightly, Ellie, her hair tied in a ponytail, swayed her enticing figure as she approached Russell with a smile that radiated allure.

"Sir, these are the documents that require your review and signature. Please take a look," she said, placing the files she held on the desk.

"Alright."

After glancing at Ellie a few times, Russell responded slowly.

He then opened the documents in front of him and quickly skimmed through them.

Due to the previous suppression by the authorities and S.H.I.E.L.D., many of Octopus Monster Industries' businesses had been forced to shut down.

Although they had since recovered to some extent, regaining the market share that had been taken by other companies wasn't an easy task through normal business methods.

However, Russell currently had no intention of using normal means to reclaim the lost market share.

He didn't give face to the government right now, and he certainly wouldn't give face to so-called business tycoons around the world.

Not long after, he finished reviewing the documents and added his comments and signature.

After completing these tasks, he turned to Ellie, who had never left his side, and said, "It's been a while since I've enjoyed your massage skills. Let's see if you've regressed."

Having said that, he gave Ellie a meaningful look.

As someone who had once played chess with Russell, Ellie naturally understood what he meant.

Upon hearing Russell's words, she flashed a charming smile, gracefully moved closer to him, and sat down in his lap without any extra words.

There was no need for further communication. Russell and Ellie silently began a game of chess, engaging in an intense battle.

A couple of hours later, in the Chairman's office of the Octopus Monster Industries Headquarters, after playing chess with Ellie and taking a shower in the adjacent bedroom, Russell finally left the Octopus Monster Industries Headquarters and returned to the Justice League Headquarters.

Although Ellie was just an ordinary human, it had to be said that ordinary people had their own advantages.

Although her stamina and endurance couldn't compare to those of Diana, Kara, and others, there was a saying that summed it up well: "Different strokes for different folks."

As time passed by, with no particularly urgent matters to attend to, Russell led a life as a true decadent capitalist in New York.

Justice League Headquarters.

He was casually sparring with the Hulk on the outdoor training ground.

After continuous cultivation, the Hulk had finally transformed into the King Hulk, a model of the Green Scar.

He had mastered superb close combat skills and handled various cold weapons skillfully, like a world-class martial arts master.

Moreover, the Hulk had achieved almost perfect control over his anger.

He could focus his anger, continually enhancing his own strength, while maintaining his composure.

At this level, the Hulk was practically the undisputed king of the battlefield within the Justice League Headquarters. Only Russell, Diana, and Kara could beat him.

Even Grendel and Godzilla, massive in size, couldn't gain the upper hand when fighting the Hulk in this state.

Aside from lacking energy-based attacks and flight capabilities, the current Hulk was a bona fide battlefield champion.

Even Russell, when sparring with the Hulk in this state, had to be slightly more focused; otherwise, he might easily fall prey to the Hulk's fierce attacks.

After sparring with the Hulk on the training ground for more than half an hour, Russell suddenly grabbed the Hulk's right arm and swiftly executed a standard shoulder throw.

Boom!

The massive Hulk fell to the ground like a meteorite from the sky, creating a crater with a diameter of dozens of meters, and a network of cracks spread across the entire training ground.

"Let's call it a day!" Russell said slowly, looking at the Hulk lying on the ground, panting heavily.