“Boom!”
Billowing smoke shot into the sky.
It was obviously a major incident.
Marcus and Kara looked at each other before rushing toward the scene.
A building’s outer wall was on fire, thick smoke pouring upward while countless cries for help echoed everywhere.
“Save people first!”
Kara rushed into the building, carrying people out one in each hand as she flew back and forth.
But when she looked again, Marcus had disappeared.
She felt a little disappointed…
She thought she had met someone like-minded, but she didn’t expect…
After several more trips, Kara suddenly saw Marcus reappear.
He stood in front of the building while a massive golden portal opened behind him, releasing an enormous flood of water!
The entire building was drenched instantly.
The strange thing was…
The violent water flow never flooded the streets below.
Before hitting the ground, it vanished completely.
The fire was immediately brought under control.
Even most of the thick smoke was washed away.
The crisis was resolved.
Compared to that…
The dozens of people Kara had rescued were barely anything.
She lost this “competition” again.
And…
Because she had mistakenly thought Marcus ran away earlier, Kara felt a little embarrassed.
“I thought you left just now.” Kara laughed awkwardly.
“I went to find a nearby river.” Marcus shrugged.
“Saving people one by one is too slow.
Putting out the fire directly is more efficient.”
“True, that’s actually really smart.” Kara praised him.
“Are you free tomorrow night?
My cousin is giving me special training then.
You can come too and meet him.
He’s a little stronger than me.”
Marcus was a little surprised.
Why was she suddenly inviting him?
Still, such a good opportunity to build a relationship was something Marcus naturally agreed to.
If he could win over Kara, the rewards would definitely be insane, right?
“Send me the address later.” Marcus said.
“I should get going.
The next situation isn’t really suitable for me.”
“Alright, see you tomorrow night.”
After Marcus left,
Kara looked down at the reporters and cameras gathering below, posed for a few pictures, then flew away.
She enjoyed helping people, but she didn’t enjoy standing in the spotlight.
…
The Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s headquarters, was located on the central island of the Potomac River.
Marcus had already seen it earlier while getting water.
Natasha and the others were still far away, so Marcus flew in directly.
“Woo!
Woo!
Woo!”
Alarms blared loudly as a large number of weapons automatically activated and aimed at Marcus after he entered.
Marcus floated calmly in the air and waited.
Ten seconds later,
The alarms stopped, and the weapons were hidden again.
A voice came through the speakers:
“Front left side, 66th floor.”
Marcus looked around.
There weren’t actually any floor numbers visible outside the building.
Instead of counting manually like an idiot, he simply picked a random floor, entered, and stood in front of the elevator.
“Ding!”
The elevator doors opened, revealing a familiar face.
Crossbones, Brock Rumlow!
There were also several other agents.
They had probably just returned from a mission.
Marcus walked into the elevator and casually stood in the center while surrounded by them.
The atmosphere felt weirdly awkward…
“Anyone getting off?”
Rumlow and the others looked at Marcus strangely.
“What floor are you heading to?” Rumlow asked.
The elevator announcement suddenly played:
“All Rapid Response Special Forces personnel, please exit the elevator immediately and wait for the next one.”
Rumlow: “…”
No need to guess.
This was definitely because of Marcus.
Without saying anything, Rumlow led his team out of the elevator.
Before the doors closed, he met Marcus’ eyes.
“The elevator is going up.
Stand still and hold on.”
The elevator shot upward rapidly before stopping on the 66th floor.
Marcus stepped out and saw Fury waiting at the door, with Phil Coulson beside him wearing his usual friendly smile.
“Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D.” Fury smiled.
“I’m Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
“Ah, I’m not very interested in meeting men.” Marcus said casually.
“Can’t you send a female agent to receive me instead?”
Fury: “…”
Phil Coulson looked at Marcus with admiration.
Marcus was probably the first person bold enough to insult Fury to his face.
“We can discuss business first.
After that, we’ll arrange a female agent to guide you around.” Fury said with a dark expression.
Marcus ignored him and casually started walking around.
Fury quickly tried to catch up, only to realize that no matter what, he always remained exactly one step behind Marcus.
Was this supposed to be a negotiation or a power display?
Marcus’ attitude toward men and women really was completely different.
Still, because of Marcus’ strength and value,
Fury held back his anger.
“Regarding the Strength Enhancement Serum, S.H.I.E.L.D.
plans to purchase 100,000 units in the first batch…”
“Stop.” Marcus interrupted immediately.
“Do you think this stuff falls from the sky?
It’s extremely difficult to produce.
At most, I can trade you 3 doses.”
Fury frowned.
Only 3 doses?
“If there are production difficulties, we can help solve them…”
Marcus gave Fury a strange look.
“Don’t underestimate Earth’s technology.” Fury said calmly.
“Many alien civilizations have visited Earth over the years, and we’ve absorbed some of their technology.
In certain areas, we’re not weak.”
Marcus agreed with that.
After all, this world was basically a mashup of different universes.
It wasn’t strange for all kinds of crazy technology to exist.
The problem was…
He didn’t have any formula at all.
“The output of the Serum isn’t limited by production methods, but by raw materials.” Marcus said casually.
“The main ingredient is the peel of a Devil Fruit, which can only be found in small amounts on the Grand Line.
Does Earth have that?”
Fury didn’t even need to check.
That thing definitely didn’t exist on Earth.
If it did, that would be the real problem.
“Can’t you provide more?” Fury tried bargaining again.
“We can offer a price that satisfies you.”
More money?
Marcus nodded decisively.
“Let’s trade one dose first.
If the result satisfies me, then we can discuss future deals.”
The meaning was obvious.
Fury needed to show enough sincerity first before they discussed anything else.
This time, Fury didn’t object.
After glancing at Phil Coulson, the latter immediately handed over a document.
“Since you want to start a family, you’ll definitely need territory.”
“You can choose any location in the world.
Depending on the land value, we can provide anywhere from 10,000 square meters up to 1 million square meters.”
“A Quinjet, fully armed.”
“Three sets of every firearm on Earth, each with ten magazines for your collection.”
“And finally, 100 million dollars in cash.”
“All of that in exchange for…
5 doses of Strength Enhancement Serum.”
Honestly,
But…
“Those are all pretty ordinary resources.” Marcus said casually.
“Add one treasure worthy of my collection, and then we can trade for one dose of Strength Enhancement Serum.”
Fury: “…”
He originally thought Marcus would negotiate a little.
Instead, the guy went straight for the throat.
Ridiculous!
Fury still wanted to continue bargaining…
“We’ll do it my way.” Marcus glanced at Fury.
“If not, then forget the deal.”
That attitude made Fury feel irritated.
Earlier Marcus acted like someone easy to fool with money, so why was he suddenly this tough during actual negotiations?
While talking,
The three of them reached their destination, the Archive Room.
Phil Coulson was just about to swipe his card and open the door…
“Buzz…”
The door opened automatically.
Standing at the entrance was a pair of long legs that perfectly filled out a suit.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a sharp, capable appearance made her look especially heroic.
Sharon Carter!
The niece of Peggy Carter, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s founders.
Among female agents, her skills were considered excellent.
As for whether her appearance here was coincidence or intentional…
Did it really matter?
“Hi.” Marcus greeted her with a smile.
“Beautiful lady, I still need a guide.
Would you mind helping me out?”
Sharon’s expression became a little strange, but she still answered with a bright smile.
“What department are you from?
What kind of information are you looking for?”
“No department.
I’m an alien.” Marcus answered seriously.
“I just arrived on Earth and want to systematically understand this world.
Any recommendations?”
Now Sharon was confused.
An alien?
That definitely wasn’t in the mission briefing!
Phil Coulson and Fury both looked at Marcus speechlessly.
Did this guy really just casually tell people he was an alien?
Sharon glanced at Fury and Phil Coulson before nodding thoughtfully.
“Since Director Fury personally escorted you here, I guess you’re not a bad alien.” Sharon smiled.
“If you want to understand Earth’s history systematically, why not start with the development of S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Most major events on Earth are recorded here.”
“Sounds good.
Where do I start?”
“This way.”
Sharon led Marcus into the Archive Room, and the two disappeared behind the door.
Only then did Phil Coulson speak.
“Director, since Natasha was already arranged beforehand, why did you still…”
Obviously,
Sharon’s appearance was another setup arranged by Fury.
“I didn’t realize it before, but Marcus also has a bit of a cleanliness issue mentally.” Fury said calmly.
“Because of her background, Natasha was never suitable for deep infiltration.”
The meaning was obvious…
Sharon was meant for the deeper infiltration role.
Phil Coulson looked worried.
“But Sharon’s identity…”
“That person already agreed.” Fury replied.
“Phil Coulson, we found something near Iceland.
Once you see it, you’ll understand why I made this decision.”
Phil Coulson trusted Fury completely and nodded.
After Fury left,
Phil Coulson picked up his tablet and checked the report.
His eyes widened instantly.
“Discovery…”
“The remains of Captain America?”
…
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