Shockwave

"I went bald, and I got stronger..."

Looking at the head in the mirror, not a single hair left on it, Wang Khan suddenly thought of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Black Nick Fury.

"He's Black Nick Fury, so have I become a hard-boiled egg? How did this happen, Red Queen?"

"Master, according to my analysis, the Green Goblin Serum and Quake Serum fused and produced an unexpected rejection reaction. However, the reaction was not severe and only affected your hair."

"So from now on, I can only change my hairstyle?"

"I suggest wearing a wig for a while. Such a drastic change in appearance could easily draw S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention. Besides, your hair should still grow back, so there is no need to worry too much."

The moment he heard it could grow back, Wang Khan let out a long sigh of relief.

He had no desire to become Saitama, especially since his strength was nowhere near Saitama's.

So, following Red Queen's advice, he got himself a wig and put it on.

"Come to think of it, this bald look can count as a disguise. Maybe I can use it to stir up some trouble."

S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy was essentially S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research center. Much of its black technology had been developed there, including the Quinjet's vertical takeoff and landing technology, Stealth Technology, and the Helicarrier's various systems.

Aside from independent research, S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy was also dedicated to reverse-engineering all kinds of high-tech products. For example, it had assembled numerous experts to reverse-engineer Wang Khan's Smart Spider Robot.

Within this project, cracking the source code of the Spider-Sense System was undoubtedly the top priority.

However, Skye's arrival a few days earlier had given S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy another project. It was called Shockwave, and its specific purpose was to decipher, understand, and develop Skye's Inhuman Ability.

If progress went smoothly, S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy would also trace the source of superpowers and see whether they could replicate them in other people.

"How is it going?"

Nick Fury, who had always been obsessed with superpowers, had frequently asked about the Shockwave project's progress over the past few days.

"Director, it's still too early. We have only gained a preliminary understanding of Experiment 87's characteristics."

"What are those characteristics?"

"She is extremely powerful. She possesses Super Strength, speed, endurance, and more. In short, her physical abilities are several times greater than those of our toughest agents. In unarmed combat, even Natasha is probably no match for her."

Fury's eyes lit up slightly. At this stage, Natasha was the strongest trump card in his hand. Hearing that even Natasha was no match for Skye left him both shocked and delighted.

Of course, that was only in a bare-handed fight. If weapons were involved, Skye, who had no combat experience at all, would probably be killed by Natasha in seconds.

After all, the Black Widow from the Red Room was not famous for nothing. Even against opponents several times stronger than her physically, she had ways to kill them.

"What about her superpower?"

"Our preliminary judgment is that she can make objects vibrate. The earthquake in Brooklyn was probably caused when her ability awakened. This ability has enormous potential. In theory, it could even trigger continental plate displacement and massive tsunamis, though that is probably impossible in reality."

Nick Fury looked over, and the other man explained, "We discovered that when she uses her ability, she emits shockwaves through both hands, causing nearby objects to vibrate. The greater the shockwave's intensity, the greater the damage to her arms. Once its power exceeds the limit her arm bones can withstand, her bones will shatter first. That is why it is fundamentally impossible for her to cause excessive destruction."

"Unless all her bones are replaced with an alloy that has exceptional shock resistance, but that is simply impossible!"

Nick Fury did not think it was impossible. After all, superpowers existed now. Replacing someone's bones with alloy was no longer pure fantasy.

"Continue the tests. Also, do not treat her as an experiment. I have approved her entry into S.H.I.E.L.D. From now on, she is one of us."

Fury glanced at Skye in the laboratory, then turned and walked out.

Coulson was waiting for him at the entrance.

"Have you figured it out? Who was behind it?"

Coulson shook his head.

"Not yet. The person who rented that laboratory used a false identity, and even the account the money was transferred from turned out to be fake. It is obvious they had prepared everything before making their move. I suspect..."

Coulson did not continue, but Fury already knew what he meant.

"You suspect it was someone inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Director, Skye has been under our surveillance since childhood. Outsiders had no way of knowing there was anything special about her. This time, they not only found her with precision, but also ambushed our agents in advance. That is absolutely not something an outsider could easily do. Director, I would like to temporarily request Level 8 Access to review the records from back then..."

"That's enough. You do not need to concern yourself with what happened back then. Just keep following the laboratory's leads."

Coulson could only accept the order. After all, he was only a Level 7 Agent and had no way to view Level 8 classified files. What was more, Coulson did not know that files concerning Skye's background required Level 10 Access. In other words, within all of S.H.I.E.L.D., only Nick Fury and Alexander Pierce had permission to review them.

"Oh, and besides pursuing the leads, I have another task for you. Make contact with Skye and train her into a qualified agent."

Coulson froze.

"Director, do you intend to have her join..."

"That's right. I want to restart the Avengers Initiative, and Skye will be the best candidate. But before she becomes an Avenger, she must first become an outstanding S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."

Although Coulson felt that this was somewhat exploitative toward Skye, as an excellent agent, he only hesitated for a moment before putting the thought aside.

Just as he was about to speak, a fierce tremor suddenly struck. The academy's buildings swayed from side to side, while the water in a nearby lake boiled as if it had been heated, constantly sending sprays several meters high into the air. Even the ornamental fish were flung out of the lake.

A piercing alarm rang out. Fury and Coulson immediately rushed toward the academy's monitoring room. Meanwhile, Skye, who was undergoing tests with the agents in the laboratory, looked shocked and confused the instant she felt the tremor.

To her, the tremor felt extremely familiar, as though she had caused it herself. Yet she knew very clearly that it was not her doing.

At the same time, in a small park on the outskirts of S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, Wang Khan, appearing in his bald disguise, was crouched halfway down with both palms pressed to the ground. Wave after wave of powerful shockwaves traveled from his palms into the earth, causing the academy buildings to shake.

This ability feels a bit like the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Could I eventually become a second Whitebeard?