Bloody Facts

Once again, they were facing a superpowered criminal incident.

Coulson also felt a trace of helplessness, especially when facing someone who could control people's minds and manipulate innocent humans into willingly going to their deaths to serve her.

Coulson was even somewhat depressed.

But his powerful mental resilience quickly pulled him out of his depression. The determination returned to his eyes as he closed the phone in his hand.

He turned his attention back to Fitz's screen.

"Fitz, how are things?"

"Sir, all the personnel records for everyone aboard the passenger flight have now been verified. There are no problems, and there is no news of Ward or Lorelei."

"At the same time, all eight private planes that took off from the Caesar Hotel have been forced to land. You were right—there was only one pilot on each plane. They tried to resist, but they have all been arrested."

"I'm applying for satellite-monitoring access and retrieving the satellite footage. It'll take a little more time."

"Using my authority, Lorelei's threat will only grow greater, especially with Ward continuing to assist her!" Coulson said solemnly.

"Skye, how is it going?"

"All of Ward's backup identities have been canceled. We're also freezing the assets of those two tycoons and conducting a full-scale search. However, the two companies seem to have some objections, and S.H.I.E.L.D. is negotiating with them."

Coulson nodded. For him, this was all he could do.

When thwarted in an incident involving superpowered opponents, his first thought would normally be to summon the Avengers.

That was precisely why the Avengers had been formed in the first place.

During the Battle of New York, the Avengers had been pushed to the pinnacle by the demands of countless people, but in the end, they had still disbanded.

Dr. Banner was now working with Tony at Stark Industries, while also collaborating with several other major medical-technology companies on some unknown project.

Natasha and Barton each had their own missions.

Rogers had traveled around for a while, but eventually settled into a small house in Brooklyn, New York. Recently, he had remained silent at home.

Thor, meanwhile, had stayed with the female doctor, Jane, and they were under constant surveillance by S.H.I.E.L.D.

Coulson could find them, but he didn't dare to.

Thor had already experienced being bewitched by Lorelei.

Barton had been manipulated by Loki before, and the damage that incident had caused S.H.I.E.L.D. still made Nick Fury wince.

Lorelei currently had only Ward by her side, while Barton posed a far greater threat than Ward.

Natasha was a possibility.

But as for Tony Stark and Banner, Coulson didn't dare let either of them try!

At least the enraged Hulk still had the rational Banner to oppose him. If even Banner were bewitched—

A Hulk with no restraints and complete control over his body would be a grave threat to the world.

At least they still hadn't found a way to completely destroy the Hulk. The only way to suppress him was to constantly bombard him with overwhelming firepower, and even that was entirely uncontrollable.

As for Tony Stark, yes, he had once resisted Loki's temptation, but there was still a chance that Lorelei could seduce him.

An Iron Man who was utterly loyal to that enchantress, who sought to control and destroy the entire world—

Coulson didn't even dare imagine how much damage that would cause.

What was more, the odds were far greater than one in a million!

That left Natasha as the best assistance they could find.

But Sif was already here, and even Natasha wouldn't be able to help much.

Only Golden Legend currently possessed, as far as Coulson knew, the strongest teleportation and control abilities.

And judging from his past resistance to Loki's scepter, he also possessed powerful mental defenses and resistance.

Coulson glanced at his phone again and said softly,

"May, the bomb-disposal team is about to arrive. How are things on Sif's end?"

Sif casually lifted one of the people on the outermost edge with one hand.

After confirming that there was nothing unusual, she placed the person a short distance away and returned to deal with the remaining people.

She already possessed extensive knowledge, and after May explained the principles behind this simple detonation system, she had formed her own assessment of the situation.

Sure enough, while handling the situation, Sif found fine wires designed to trigger an immediate detonation on three of the hostages.

With her effortless movements, Sif quickly and easily resolved the danger on all three of them.

After all, to an Asgardian warrior, any weight was as though it did not exist, and her hands were steadier than those of the bomb-disposal experts.

Only at the end did she discover that, amid the unconscious people crushed together, a small bundle of explosives had been strapped to the woman at the very center. It was also stained with a large amount of blood.

The countless complicated wires had been covered with blood, making them impossible to see clearly. The person in the middle had a deathly pale face, her breathing coming in fits as she hovered on the verge of death.

Sif clearly observed that the woman had a wound that had been deliberately stabbed through her body.

As for the purpose, Sif still couldn't figure it out immediately.

But now, with only one final threat remaining, even Sif couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.

She first dragged the dozen or so other unconscious people outside the door, then returned once more.

She looked solemnly at the unconscious woman lying on the floor.

The wound in her abdomen was extremely precise. It had not damaged any vital organs, but it had caused considerable blood loss.

After all this time, the loss of so much blood had already brought her to the brink of death, and her heartbeat was growing slower and slower.

As if she had reached a critical threshold, a tiny monitoring chip hidden on the woman's chest sent out a signal.

'Beep, beep.'

Ward glanced at his watch.

"Ward, what is it?" Lorelei asked.

"My little trap worked. That woman's heart rate is extremely slow, and the bomb is about to detonate."

Ward turned back to Lorelei and said, "As I said before, that battle arrangement can give S.H.I.E.L.D. a headache, but it isn't difficult to resolve. In fact, it's practically handing them free kills."

"Oh, I can see that. Why?" Lorelei asked, somewhat confused.

"I understand how those Combat Squads fight. Those two hundred people who haven't undergone any training won't be able to hold out for long against an S.H.I.E.L.D. Combat Squad, no matter what."

"On the contrary, arranging them that way will speed up the operation."

"Judging from the progress of the battle and the story you told me about Sif, she seems to have a strong sense of empathy toward women. So when they begin disarming the bombs, she'll definitely be nearby."

"Based on the time, the people in the banquet hall have probably already been dealt with. She should be saving people now."

"If we're lucky, perhaps only that one TNT explosive will prove effective. Of course, the margin for error is far too large. This is merely my guess. The odds that Sif is still in the banquet hall are no more than thirty percent."

"But those women will all die."

"I know. When the explosives go off, the hundreds of people in that banquet hall will all die as well. But I don't care, Lorelei. Sif is a threat to you. If there's even a one percent chance, I'll kill her."

Ward looked at Lorelei and said cruelly.