S.H.I.E.L.D. Consultant

A nondescript roadside diner.

The bald Sitwell was enjoying his meal after a busy day.

Behind him, Coulson, also dressed in a suit, pushed open the door and walked straight to him, sitting down in front of him.

Sitwell put down his coffee and wiped his mouth. "Are you hungry too? The food here isn't bad."

Coulson didn't speak, his expression somewhat complicated.

Seeing this, Sitwell asked, "It looks like something went wrong?"

"That's right. They made a stupid and hasty request." After a pause, Coulson whispered, "They want Blonsky to join the team."

"Abomination?" Sitwell looked surprised.

Coulson quickly said, "Don't call him that, at least not where the Security Council can hear."

"What about the Harlem incident?"

Coulson shook his head. "They plan to pin it on Banner."

"Banner?"

"Yes, the guy you thought wouldn't want to provoke. Of course, that's the public story. In reality, they want to hold some unidentified group responsible."

Sitwell adjusted his glasses. "Then why not just claim publicly that other forces were involved?"

Coulson: "For Ross, for the military, they don't want the public to know that people outside the military were firing cannons in the city. It's a disgrace to the military. Moreover, they killed a major drug lord in the suburbs before, and many people still see them as heroes for that. It's the same with the Harlem incident; their actions did reduce a lot of potential losses. Now, all the credit goes to General Ross."

"Interesting, is that what they think?"

Coulson licked his lips. "They see Blonsky as a war hero, hoping he won't bear any criminal responsibility from the start, and they even want to commend him. Although Blonsky's whereabouts haven't been found yet, those people already consider him one of us."

Sitwell suddenly laughed. "If they can't even find him, what's the point of talking about this?"

"General Ross hasn't given up the search. He's already found where Blonsky came ashore."

Sitwell's smile vanished.

Coulson continued, "We have to assume General Ross can find Blonsky. After all, he was his subordinate, and he was constantly tracking Banner, almost cornering him. So, he's really experienced in this regard."

"Director Fury really wants Blonsky?"

"Of course not, but he can't directly ignore the clear instructions from the World Security Council. So, anything we do must guarantee that."

"Then what should we do?"

"I don't know. But we must send someone to see General Ross within 24 hours."

Sitwell frowned. "So, according to the World Security Council's instructions, we have to send someone to see General Ross and ask him for Blonsky, someone we don't want at all?"

"Exactly."

Silence fell between them, a look of helplessness on both their faces.

A moment later, Sitwell suddenly looked away from the window.

"I have an idea."

Coulson immediately looked at him.

"We'll arrange for a reckless person to mess up the mission, to cause trouble, and make General Ross refuse to release Blonsky. I can do that, I'm good at it."

Coulson raised an eyebrow, lost in thought. "That's right, it's a good idea... Wait, I have an idea too. This can't be done so directly. We can find someone who can truly enrage General Ross."

"Go on."

"We need someone very arrogant and annoying, someone who genuinely despises those in power and can easily make General Ross extremely angry."

Sitwell's eyes lit up with understanding. "Are you talking about that consultant?"

Coulson immediately shook his head. "I'm not."

"You're talking about him."

"No, I wouldn't let him go."

Abroad.

Tony, who was watching a pole dance on a plane, received his first mission since becoming a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant.

"A mission so soon? I thought I was just a consultant who didn't need to do anything. Let me see, General Ross, Colonel Blonsky, so it's the Harlem incident... Hmph, if I hadn't gotten drunk that night, there wouldn't be so much trouble? But these people actually want a murderous monster to join the team..." Looking at the mission brief, a sharp glint flashed in Tony's eyes.

Three levels underground in the manor.

Crackling sounds echoed in the soundproof room, interspersed with various groans and screams of pain, quite chilling.

A moment later, Hong Fei walked out of the room, his disappointment evident on his face.

Meanwhile, Samuel Sterns was curled up in a corner of the room, his large head bowed deeply, looking like a timid bride who had just been bullied.

It had been three days. Samuel's head was still growing, and he still hadn't dropped a Skill Card. Moreover, his skin had recently started turning green, clearly showing a common origin with the Hulk and Abomination.

Hong Fei said, "Keep him locked up. Notify me when his head stops growing."

"Yes."

Turning towards the room next to the armory, he pushed open the door. Frank was lying under a tank, conducting an inspection.

"How is it?"

"In perfect condition. All parts are new, with no signs of activation. It's in the most perfect factory state."

A moment later, Frank climbed out, still unwilling to give up. "How did you even do it?"

"A secret."

It wasn't convenient to explain such a thing, and even if he did, it would be useless because only he could see the Skill Card.

Frank shook his head and sighed. "Fine, if you won't say, you won't say. But I still have another question."

"Go ahead."

"How do you plan to get it out of here? The corridor isn't that wide, and we don't have an elevator big enough to fit it."

"No rush. If I could get it in, I can get it out."

Frank stared at Hong Fei for a long time, then slowly shifted his gaze. He picked up his toolbox and said, "You figure it out then. I'll go get some shells. That stuff isn't easy to buy."

Hong Fei immediately grinned and bowed to him. "Thanks for your trouble!"

After Frank left, Hong Fei turned his back to the tank, took a deep breath, and inserted the Skill Card into the Card Slot again, injecting energy.

Following the same process, a brand-new tank appeared before him.

At the same time, the first tank that had appeared began to crack and dissipate like a virtual projection, merging into the void and completely vanishing.

The second tank appeared complete, and the first tank completely disappeared.

Hong Fei felt a sense of regret, but also relief.

The regret was that he couldn't create multiple tanks simultaneously, but this was within his expectations.

The relief came from the transportation issue.

The new one appeared as the old one disappeared. This meant Hong Fei could summon a brand-new tank anytime and anywhere without worrying about transportation, saving him a great deal of time and effort, while also reducing the risk of exposure.

Furthermore, even if this tank were captured, Hong Fei could simply abandon it. He could just make another one later.