Hydra Agent

Inside the operating room of S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, the gravely wounded and unconscious Black Widow Natasha was undergoing surgery.

Outside the operating room's glass wall, Nick Fury's dark face stared inside without a trace of expression.

A few meters away from Nick Fury, Hawkeye Barton was crouching by the wall with a pained look on his face, appearing deeply remorseful.

Just then, Maria Hill walked over and shook her head slightly at Nick Fury.

"Natasha's injuries are severe, especially her left leg. It's impossible to restore it. Even with a perfect recovery after surgery, she can only work desk duty. She'll never be able to go into the field again."

"I understand."

Nick Fury said nothing more. He turned and left before the surgery was over.

Barton stood up and stopped Hill, who was also about to leave.

"Is there anything the latest prosthetic technology can do? She still has most of her life ahead of her. She can't even be unable to walk!"

"Barton, calm down. Natasha didn't just injure her leg. Her internal organs suffered severe shock, with multiple ruptures and injuries. Even if she gets the best high-tech prosthetic, it'll be difficult for her to do physical work for the rest of her life. Desk duty is already her limit. Otherwise, she'll have to retire early."

"...I understand."

As a top agent, Barton had seen plenty of injuries and even disabilities. He naturally understood what Natasha's injuries meant.

In other words, unless a miracle happened, Natasha would be disabled for the rest of her life. Forget living as she had before—even an ordinary person's life was now out of her reach.

"How's the investigation into that guy going?"

"That guy has already developed an Invisible Fighter. Whether it's radar or satellites, none of them can do anything. All we can do now is wait for him to walk into the trap."

Barton's eyes were filled with hatred.

"Then I'll wait at headquarters. The moment he's found, notify me. I'll shoot an arrow through his head!"

Hill sighed inwardly. Knowing that Barton was extremely agitated, she said nothing more and turned to leave.

Three days later, Natasha finally woke up. When she saw her empty left leg and felt the unprecedented weakness throughout her body, she knew the worst had happened.

The mental fortitude of a top agent allowed her to accept everything very quickly. She remained composed—at least on the surface.

A month later, she was discharged and returned to the home S.H.I.E.L.D. had arranged for her. She laboriously hobbled to the bed with a crutch, then slowly sat down.

Suddenly, two men in black rushed out from behind her and tackled Natasha to the ground.

Natasha fought back with all her might, breaking one man's nose with an elbow. But she had only just recovered from her severe injuries, and her strength was less than a tenth of what it had been. On top of that, she was missing a foot, rendering many of her moves unusable.

"Bang!"

After taking a punch to the face, Natasha's head spun dizzily, and she could no longer even crawl.

Just then, the other man pulled out a stun gun and knocked Natasha unconscious with a single shot.

After Natasha lost consciousness, the two men in black removed their masks. One appeared to be in his forties, while the other was only in his twenties.

"How is it, Ward? Nothing serious, right?"

"I'm fine. It's not the first time my nose has been broken. It's nothing. What do we do now? This woman is Nick Fury's favorite agent. If she suddenly disappears, he'll probably search for her like a madman. This is too risky, Garrett."

The middle-aged man called Garrett gave a sinister chuckle.

"I know Nick Fury very well. He's a pragmatist. A healthy Black Widow is his finest agent, but a crippled Natasha is nothing more than a burden. Besides, now that she's disappeared, the first person suspected will be that Vibration Man. There's no way they'll suspect us."

Ward nodded, then bent down and hoisted the unconscious Natasha onto his shoulder.

Garrett reached out and touched Natasha's pale face.

"It's a shame to waste such an outstanding agent like this. As it happens, the Extremis Virus research has made a new breakthrough. Let her become the next test subject. If it succeeds, we'll have another first-rate agent in our hands. If it fails, all we'll have done is blow up another building. No big deal."

Amid their sinister laughter, Natasha was carried away by the two Hydra agents hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D...

Another two months passed in the blink of an eye, and Umbrella Corporation's business had completely gotten on track.

Their clients now spanned the entire world. In other words, apart from the poorest people in Africa, the intelligence agencies of every other country had become Umbrella Corporation's clients.

There was no helping it. Smart Spiders were simply too useful in espionage and intelligence.

Their compact bodies and powerful functions allowed them to adapt to ninety percent of environments. Combined with the Spider-Sense System they carried, they could evade attacks with incredible efficiency.

Even if they were discovered, they could use their extraordinary maneuverability to force their way out and bring back the intelligence they had stolen.

What country wouldn't want such powerful spy machines? What country would dare not to want them?

Those who refused could wait for their own archives to become as open as a bus station!

Just as Wang Khan had said before, Smart Spider robots had forcibly ignited an arms race among the nations. Anyone who refused to participate could only wait to be beaten into submission.

Thus, over the course of several months, Umbrella Corporation's total assets rose directly from several hundred million USD to five billion USD. Its market value reached tens of billions, truly making it one of the most prominent technology companies in the United States.

Wang Khan also became a new capitalist magnate. Since he was the inventor of the Spider-Bots, some people had even begun comparing him to Tony Stark.

Inside Laboratory Zero, located at the robot processing plant, Wang Khan lifted his hands from the keyboard. Red Queen immediately organized the experimental data he had just entered.

"Guardian, after two months of research, the theory behind Artificial Vibranium is complete. But the problem lies with the raw materials. Several of the elements it requires are extremely scarce on Earth. Unless we solve that problem, Artificial Vibranium can't be mass-produced, much less used to carry out your grand plans."

Wang Khan gulped down a high-energy drink, then rubbed his aching temples.

"Is there no way to solve the problem with those elements?"

"Not on Earth, unless you can go to the moon."

"Oh? They're on the moon?"

Red Queen immediately brought up an internal file stolen from NASA and displayed it for Wang Khan.

"According to this data, the lunar strata beneath the surface should contain large quantities of elements that are rare on Earth. This includes several of the elements needed for Artificial Vibranium. If we could take a Quinjet to the moon, we should be able to solve our current problem. Unfortunately, the Quinjet's energy supply is a major issue."

The Quinjet was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s technological crystallization in the field of aviation. It could genuinely be used as a space shuttle.

The only thing restricting it from flying into space was its energy supply. After all, the fuel used by terrestrial aircraft was far less effective in space.

Besides, the Quinjet's fuel capacity alone couldn't carry it all the way to the moon, much less bring them back after they arrived.

Therefore, the problem facing Wang Khan was energy. He had to find an energy source that was more efficient than rocket fuel while also taking up less space.

Wang Khan thought for a moment, then suddenly asked,

"How's our playboy doing lately? Is he still being Iron Man and traveling around the world maintaining peace?"