A Game from Afar

Tri-Wing Building.

Nick Fury flipped through one photograph after another in his hands, studying each one carefully. The photos showed massive robots one after another. Judging by the angles and clarity, they appeared to have been taken secretly.

"Captain." A somewhat balding man with an utterly harmless-looking face knocked and entered, drawing Nick Fury's attention away from the photographs.

"Agent Coulson, take a look." Nick Fury tossed the photographs onto his desk. Like playing cards, they streaked across the surface in a long arc and spread out over the tabletop. Phil Coulson stepped forward, gathered the scattered photos together, and flipped through them one by one.

"What are these?" Phil Coulson raised an eyebrow when he saw the enormous, seemingly half-finished robot in the photos. This was not something an ordinary organization could build. Could this be some major operation?

"Hebron Industrial Technology. These photographs came from Hebron Industrial Technology." Nick Fury tapped the desk and revealed their source. "Our people went to great lengths to get a few photos out, and they were discovered!" By the end, Nick Fury's voice carried intense dissatisfaction. He felt that the newcomers under his command were becoming increasingly lax, their professional standards even lower than those of previous recruits.

"Hebron Industrial Technology? That genius on Stark's level?" Phil was surprised.

"That's him." Nick Fury rubbed his forehead.

"Is there something you need me to do?" Phil Coulson asked cautiously. The Captain could not possibly have summoned him just to look at these photos, could he? Though he did think the unfinished robot looked pretty cool.

"Keep watching." Nick Fury tapped the tabletop, brought up a virtual display, opened one of its folders, and played the video inside. After it passed security verification, he gestured for Phil Coulson to continue watching.

The video was short. It looked as though it had been filmed in a desert. Since it was satellite footage, the image was not perfectly clear, but it was still possible to make out a metal man charging out of a cave, using flames to detonate the nearby ammunition depot before flying directly into the sky.

After Phil Coulson finished watching, he turned his gaze toward his Captain.

"Tony Stark," Nick Fury said. "That is the conclusion reached after compiling all subsequent intelligence. That metal man was Tony Stark."

"So you believe the people who kidnapped Tony Stark were connected to Hebron Industrial Technology?" Phil's thoughts immediately began to wander. In other words, Hebron Industrial's robot technology might have come from Tony Stark? But Luke Field, Hebron's founder, had assembled a Mechanical Dog with outstanding performance in every aspect five years ago. He had the necessary technical foundation.

Nick gave his subordinate, whose train of thought had gone off course, a strange look before brutally cutting off his speculation. "The two have no hostile relationship whatsoever!"

"Then what is this about?" Agent Phil spread his hands helplessly.

"Pay close attention to Tony Stark. I suspect his kidnapping involved someone on the inside. Understand?" Nick ordered. After all, Tony's father had been one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Tony himself was a top-tier genius who had inherited his father's intelligence. He was worth Nick's attention—especially since Nick had been considering pushing forward a certain plan and selecting members for it.

"What about Hebron Industrial Technology?" Phil lowered his head to look at the massive robot in the photos. Though the shooting angle was poor, it was undeniably awe-inspiring.

"Keep an eye on them as well." Nick hesitated, but ultimately made up his mind. Though he still leaned toward Tony Stark in his heart, having a backup would not be a bad thing, would it? Besides, if Luke truly displayed genius no less remarkable than Tony Stark's, recruiting him and bringing both of them into the organization Nick envisioned seemed like a good idea.

Hebron Industrial Park.

Luke's private laboratory.

White Queen's magnetic voice reminded Luke, who had been stealing a moment of leisure to tease Rudd.

"Master, Miss Ina will arrive at the laboratory shortly."

"What happened this time?" Luke patted Rudd's big head, signaling it to lie down, then rose to his feet and waited helplessly for Ina's arrival.

"This is absurd!" The moment the metal door opened under White Queen's control, Ina strode in at a furious pace, practically bringing a gust of wind with her. She waved her arms forcefully, anger written across her face. "The company's security and surveillance systems need another upgrade! Commercial Spies are one thing, but why are those covert intelligence departments joining in too?"

"There's no need to be angry." Luke remained very calm. "There's far more turmoil inside Stark than there is here. They can't get their hands on any real classified information."

"But photographs got out! Photos of that huge robot in your laboratory got out! That proves there are still loopholes in our detection systems and confidentiality procedures." Ina said. In her heart, every unreleased product in Luke's Lab was the crystallization of his efforts—the company's treasure. Anyone who dared leak information about them was an enemy of both him and Hebron, and deserved a prison sentence!

"I know." Luke had a headache. He realized that he seemed to have forgotten something—he had forgotten to tell Ina about his plans beforehand. It was not his fault. Ina had been so busy these past few days that he had barely seen her, and he did not want to use a less secure means of communication like messaging.

"You know?" Ina suddenly froze. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Luke suspiciously.

"In fact, those photos were only leaked with my permission. Otherwise, the moment he took them, White Queen would have notified security and had him detained," Luke explained.

Hearing that, Ina did not feel deceived or angry as an ordinary person might have. Trusting Luke, she immediately calmed down and began following his line of thought. With her arms folded across her chest, she looked at him. "Did you want to reveal something to the outside world? Or was this a staged preview for the release of a new product? An accidental leak followed by unveiling the technology would indeed be an effective publicity tactic, but weren't you planning to hold back this technology for now? I remember the next technologies you intended to develop and reveal were related to information and energy."

"It's not that complicated. That person is a member of an organization called S.H.I.E.L.D. The intelligence agency identity you mentioned is probably real, but it's likely just a cover. This organization has its fingers everywhere. It's normal for a company of our size to attract its attention and investigation. This might even be some task meant to test its members' abilities." Luke shrugged.