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Page 88

Hill shook his head, his face grim. "He's been taken away, sir. And Dr. Severg. They... seem to have betrayed us."

A fire ignited in Fury's single eye.

He lost the first game.

He lost the Cosmic Cube, and he also lost his best agent.

The war has begun.

Chapter 101 The Avengers Assemble (Part 1)

The night wind in New Mexico carried the smell of burnt earth.

At the edge of the sinkhole, the temporary command post was brightly lit. Nick Fury's face was darker than the night, and one hand was pressed on the table, his knuckles white.

Maria Hill strode in.

"Sir, the assessment is in." Her voice was strained. "Ninety percent of the base has collapsed, and all the data is gone. Casualties are still being tallied; it won't look good."

Fury didn't speak, staring at a red dot on the screen.

That was the last signal from the Cosmic Cube in Stuttgart, Germany.

“We’ve found him.” Fury’s voice was deep.

“Loki is in downtown Stuttgart, like he’s attending a dinner party,” Hill said in an absurd tone.

“He’s not going to eat,” Fury said coldly. “He’s showing off, he’s provoking us. He’s telling us he’s here and we can’t stop him.”

Phil Coulson stood to one side, his face pale. He stared at Hawkeye's gray avatar on the screen.

“Clinton…” he said softly.

“He’s just being controlled,” Fury said firmly. “We’ll bring him back.”

He took a deep breath.

"Activate the 'Avengers Protocol'."

Hill was stunned: "Sir? Now? That assessment report said they were a bunch of time bombs."

“Right now, we’re standing on an even bigger bomb, Loki.” Fury turned around, his one eye sweeping over the people present. “I don’t care if they’re monsters, gods, or popsicles. Right now, I need them.”

He began giving orders, speaking very quickly.

“Hill, track Loki, pinpoint his location, and prepare to capture him. I need to know what he’s doing every single second.”

"Yes, sir."

"Colson."

“Go see Stark.” Fury tossed him a tablet. “Show him the data. Tell him the party’s started and he needs to come.”

Coulson took the tablet: "What if he refuses?"

“He will,” Fury said. “So, it’s not you who goes. It’s Mr. Chen who goes.”

Coulson and Hill both looked toward the corner.

Chu Hang appeared there at some point, leaning against the wall, toying with a charred metal part in his hand.

“That bastard Stark only cares about fists,” Fury said. “Only Mr. Chen’s fists are harder than his metal frame. Tell him this is the advisor’s order.”

Chu Hang threw the part on the table, making a "ding" sound.

“It’s nothing,” he said. “However, I have one condition.”

"I'll owe you for now, there's nothing I want right now."

Fury's eye twitched.

"Deal," he said through gritted teeth.

Chu Hang smiled, and his figure faded away and disappeared.

Coulson and Hill were already used to it.

“And,” Fury’s voice rang out again, “Natasha has already set off to find Banner. As for our captain… he needs a little motivation.”

New York, Stark Tower.

On the top floor, the floor-to-ceiling windows offer a panoramic view of Manhattan at night.

Tony Stark held up a glass of champagne and gestured to Pepper Potts.

"See that, Pepper? This building is 100% clean energy. It generates its own electricity and can power the entire neighborhood. This is the future."

Pepper looked at him with a smile. This man only acted like a child when talking about his inventions.

“Yes, Tony, that’s amazing,” she said. “But are you really going to hang your name that high up? It’s a bit… showy.”

“Show-off? No, this is called branding.” Tony took a sip of his drink. “I am the brand.”

A voice sounded from behind them.

"The brand is going to go bankrupt soon if you're still drinking champagne here."

Tony and Pepper turned around abruptly.

Chu Hang stood not far away, dressed in casual clothes, as if he had walked out of thin air.

“Jarvis?” Tony frowned. His security system was the best in the world.

“Sir, I have no record of any intrusion.” Jarvis’s voice came from the ceiling, tinged with confusion. “Mr. Chen… he’s right here.”

Tony's face darkened. He hated things getting out of control. And Chu Hang was the very embodiment of that.

“Anthony, I don’t recall inviting you to my private party.” Tony’s tone was barbed.

“This isn’t a party.” Chu Hang walked up to him, took the glass of champagne, downed it in one gulp, and placed the empty glass on the table. “This is a conscription notice.”

He tossed the tablet Coulson had given him to Tony.

Tony caught it and looked down.

The screen displayed Loki's information, a diagram of the energy fluctuations of the Tesseract, and photos of the base collapsing.

"The little prince of Asgard, wielding a blue glow stick, stole S.H.I.E.L.D.'s treasure. Now he's planning to dig a hole in Earth and call all his alien friends over," Chu Hang said, as if telling a joke. "That one-eyed Fury can't handle it, so it's your turn, Tin Man."

Tony quickly flipped through the documents, his relaxed expression gradually disappearing.

Gamma rays, spatial distortion... this energy model is unscientific.

The processor in his brain was working at lightning speed.

He threw the tablet back onto the table.

“It sounds like trouble for S.H.I.E.L.D., not mine,” he said. “They have the military, they have aircraft carriers. I’m an advisor, not a henchman.”

“Their best henchman, Hawkeye, is now the enemy,” Chu Hang said.

“That’s worse.” Tony spread his hands. “Why would I join an organization that can’t even keep an eye on its own people? I don’t want to wake up one day with some things I shouldn’t have in my head.”

He walked to his armor display case and stroked the Mark 6 helmet.

“I can provide technical support. Weapon analysis, energy tracking, and even lend them a few drones.” Tony turned to look at Chu Hang, his eyes revealing the shrewdness of a businessman and the arrogance of a genius. “But I myself will not appear. I am not a soldier, and I do not take orders.”

Pepper watched them nervously from the side.

“Tony…” she tried to persuade him.

“Did you hear that?” Tony said to Chu Hang. “This is my company, my building, my life. I’m doing things my way. You agents, stay away from me.”

Chu Hang looked at him without saying a word.

His gaze was calm, so calm that it gave Tony a chill.

"Are you done talking?" Chu Hang asked.

“That’s all. You can go now. The door’s over there.” Tony pointed to the elevator.

“Stark, do you know what I dislike most about you?” he said. “You always think you have a choice.”

All the lights in the entire Stark Tower went out instantly.

The floor-to-ceiling windows turned into black mirrors, reflecting only the blue light on Tony's chest.

Jarvis's voice disappeared. The hum of the air conditioner stopped.

Everything has stopped.

“Jarvis? Report!” Tony shouted, his heart sinking.

Pepper screamed and grabbed Tony's arm.

"Backup power? Emergency power system!" Tony yelled at the air.

Still no response.

Then, he felt it.

In his chest, the new element reactor that sustained his life, his proudest invention...

Its light dimmed for a moment.

Just a moment.

Like a candle flame in the wind, it flickered slightly.

Tony felt as if an icy hand had gripped his heart. It wasn't a metaphor; it was real. The reactor's energy flow stopped for a fraction of a second, and his circulatory system shut down.

The feeling of death was so real.

His blood ran cold.

He instinctively clutched his chest, and for the first time, genuine fear appeared on his face.

The light came on again.

Jarvis's voice rang out again: "Sir, the power system is back to normal. The entire building suddenly lost power, I..."

Tony wasn't listening to what Jarvis was saying. He was just staring intently at Chu Hang, his breathing rapid.

"What...what did you do?" His voice trembled.

Chu Hang remained standing in the same spot, without moving an inch.