Watching the Apostle and Iron Man fly away one after another, the smile on Captain Rumlow's face slowly disappeared.
Looking at the busy agents around him, Rumlow walked to an empty corner, took out his cell phone, and dialed a number. The call was immediately picked up.
A deep male voice came from the other side: "Brock, why did you contact me?"
"The operation failed," Rumlow whispered.
"Did you clean up the mess?" the other person asked.
Rumlow replied, "All dead."
There was silence on the other end of the phone, then someone said, "Reformulate the plan to capture the Apostles. They cannot be exposed."
Rumlow said coldly, "Understood."
The call ended.
Rumlow put his phone in his pocket and walked back to direct the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to deal with the scene. From what he had just seen, he knew that he was also a member of Hydra.
Brock Rumlow, known as Crossbones.
...
S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
When Nick Fury learned about the attack, he was unusually furious.
Even Hill rarely saw Fury's expression like this. It was like an ice-covered volcano suppressing a raging current, his dark face tinged with an unnatural red.
After Hill reported the situation, she tactfully retreated and quietly closed the door.
In the office, Fury stared ahead with his single eye for a long time.
He had calmed down.
The King of Spies never let his emotions cloud his judgment.
Fury was thinking silently. He had just withdrawn Hawkeye when the enemy attacked directly. As expected, the opposition had already targeted the little brat.
What Fury referred to was an undercurrent within S.H.I.E.L.D. He had only recently confirmed its existence, and it seemed to involve many people, possibly even powerful senior officials.
He was glad he had a long-term vision and had been preparing backup plans as soon as he noticed something was wrong. The Avengers and the overseas secret bases were all part of his contingencies.
Luke was his top priority.
The position Luke occupied in Fury's heart was far beyond Luke's imagination.
Two months ago, he had sent Hawkeye to monitor Luke, but that was just a front.
In reality, protecting Luke was Fury's true intention. This was an open strategy. He had always kept Hawkeye in the open just to deter villains.
Hawkeye thought he was being sidelined. Even Luke himself thought so, not to mention the conspirators behind the scenes. When it came to manipulating people, Fury was the master of S.H.I.E.L.D.
But he had still underestimated their interest in Luke.
"We just got the nuclear fusion technology, and they already can't hold back..." Fury thought. The opposition likely had other motives for capturing Luke. Nuclear fusion alone wasn't enough to justify such a risk.
Fortunately, they had failed this time. It seemed he had underestimated the little brat's abilities. Thinking of this, Fury couldn't help but smirk, revealing his teeth.
The office was silent.
The air conditioner hummed on low, aiding his thoughts. Fury sat behind his desk, hands clasped, his expression shifting unpredictably as if planning something new.
...
The next day, the disaster on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue was reported by various media outlets, causing a sensation.
The death toll was never the focus. The real headline was the Apostle and Iron Man once again joining forces against evil, igniting excitement among hero fans for the entire day.
Fury did not seem inclined to suppress the news.
...
The top floor of Stark Tower.
When the elevator doors opened, a small figure in children's clothes appeared. The little boy was only seven years old, with black hair and black eyes, possessing typical Asian features. His dark pupils occasionally flashed with a maturity and cunning far beyond his age.
Yes, it was Luke. He had come today for a formal negotiation with Tony.
After fighting side by side last night, he felt their relationship should have improved slightly. Though the favorability system still showed Tony's favorability at zero—unchanged.
As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Jarvis' voice rang out: "Mr. Naughty Boy, Mr. Stark is waiting."
Luke's expression immediately soured.
Seeing Luke walk in with a scowl, Tony found himself in a much better mood. He casually pointed at the sofa, allowing Luke to sit wherever he pleased.
Then, he went to the liquor cabinet and poured two glasses of whiskey. Drinking early in the morning was nothing unusual for him.
After sitting down, he pushed one glass toward Luke and kept the other for himself.
Seeing Luke's strange look, Tony seemed to suddenly realize, "I forgot kids can't drink." He picked up Luke's glass, poured it into his own, then raised his glass to Luke with a smirk.
Luke knew this guy was messing with him. He decided not to take the bait.
"I want an explanation," Tony said lightly, swirling his glass.
"An explanation? Why are you asking me for one? I should be the one demanding answers. Who's going to explain things to me?" Luke rolled his eyes. He had come to this world inexplicably—who could explain that?
"Who are you? Let's start there."
Tony ignored Luke's annoyance, scrutinizing him for a moment before saying, "Are you the product of genetic optimization? A mutant? Or an alien?"
Luke said irritably, "I'm human."
"That's impossible. A seven-year-old mastering those techniques? Even I can't do that—unless you let me study your brain slices."
"Fuck off!" Luke shot him the middle finger.
Tony didn't care. He continued, "I've analyzed all your tech. Normally, each one would take no less than ten years to develop—for an organization with funding. At first, I thought you were some old guy from a secret organization. That would've made sense. But now, nothing adds up. I need an explanation."
"There's nothing to explain. Just admit that I'm a super invincible genius several galaxies ahead of you, and everything will make sense. Heh." Luke smirked.
Tony opened his mouth but, in the end, said nothing.
Just as Tony enjoyed seeing Luke get annoyed, Luke also enjoyed seeing Tony flustered.
Luke thought smugly, "I'm a super genius, backed by the entire system's knowledge. Not convinced? There's still plenty more to shock you."
Tony tactfully changed the subject. He knew if he kept pushing, he'd only end up frustrated.
He asked about last night: "I've investigated those attackers. Their backgrounds are complicated—police, teachers, lawyers, even janitors. It baffles me. How did these random people come together? And why attack me?"
"First, let me correct you. Their target wasn't you, it was me." Luke rolled his eyes. "You should recognize their slogan, though it's been a while. These people belong to an organization called Hydra. Any impressions?"
"Hydra?" Tony frowned.
Of course, he knew about Hydra.
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