Death

Jerry slammed on the accelerator, the engine roaring to life as the car picked up speed. He swerved the steering wheel rapidly, increasing their velocity, while Phil Coulson's SUV began to fall behind.

Melinda May was contacting George Stacy at that moment. The swaying car didn't throw her off balance as she rapidly explained the current situation over the phone.

"What? So it really was those three? You went to track them yourselves today? Why didn't you notify us, the police?" George Stacy sounded somewhat angry.

This all went back to yesterday. After obtaining the information on the three individuals, George Stacy felt there was no need to investigate them further. After all, they had established an investment company, and their company's financial accounts showed clear transaction records. These funds had no connection to the money stolen from the bank. Moreover, he was still eager for their technological assistance to confirm his hypothesis.

However, this morning, without a word, the other two had gone to track them on their own. Now, a chase was unfolding on the streets of New York. Crucially, they had been discovered before even revealing themselves or their identities. Even if there was an issue, the other party would have an excuse to evade responsibility.

"Captain George Stacy, please act immediately!" Melinda May didn't have time for his complaints. After speaking, she hung up the phone and stared ahead.

George Stacy shook his head helplessly and then walked towards the bank's main server room. He was still there today, hoping Tony Stark had made some progress.

"Mr. Stark, the robbers' technical personnel have once again infiltrated the traffic monitoring center. Could you come over?" George Stacy asked.

"What? They're back? Excellent, let's go!" Tony Stark leaped out of his chair. His assistant, Thomas, who was dozing nearby, was startled, but he didn't dare complain. He quickly grabbed Tony Stark's belongings and followed him out.

Meanwhile, Jerry was less than a hundred meters from the fifth intersection. There were no cars ahead, and he was still accelerating. Mo Fei estimated the distance and then changed the traffic lights on both sides of the intersection to green. The truck driver, who had been impatiently waiting, quickly shifted gears and slammed on the accelerator, not even looking at the vehicles on either side. The traffic light in front of Jerry remained green.

Mo Fei spoke again, "Something's wrong, look behind you!" Mo Fei's tone was extremely sudden, causing the excited Jerry to suddenly tense up. He instantly looked back, but his foot was still firmly on the accelerator, the car's speed exceeding 150 kilometers per hour.

"What?" He looked back abruptly but saw nothing. He turned his head back in confusion, but the sight before him stunned him.

A truck was right in front of his car, and he slammed into it. The impact was on the side of the truck, directly in the middle. The front of his car plunged into the underside of the truck, while the upper half of his vehicle collided with the side of the truck bed.

The entire upper half of the Mustang vanished, and so did Jerry's head. A pillar of blood shot into the sky. The truck driver, startled, slammed on the brakes. The Ford Mustang's body was dragged about three meters before coming to a halt.

Mo Fei glanced at the scene and then left. He saw no need to watch. Jerry was dead.

He now needed to notify Jack and Roy, to prepare them for the police likely questioning them. Mo Fei had no intention of hiding Jerry's death; he would tell them directly. How they chose to proceed was up to them. This was, in a way, the final test of their partnership.

Phil Coulson hadn't expected such a turn of events. He also slowly reduced his speed until the car stopped. He and Melinda May got out and approached the scene, their expressions grim.

"Coulson, is this a silencing?" Melinda May asked.

"It must be. If the lights had remained green all the way, that Mustang could have outrun us, and controlling the traffic lights could have completely blocked us. The fact that this happened now says a lot!" Phil Coulson's expression was grim. He hadn't expected the other party to be so ruthless as to silence a witness.

There was also another issue: if the traffic monitoring center couldn't find any traces of technical intrusion, then according to the law, it couldn't be classified as such, and would only be treated as an accident.

"Let's go to the traffic monitoring center. Have the New York branch personnel arrived yet?" Phil Coulson asked, turning around.

"They've started. They'll get to the traffic monitoring center before Tony Stark." The two got into the car, but the traffic was chaotic, and Phil Coulson couldn't get out immediately.

Mo Fei called Jack. "Jack, Jerry is dead!"

Jack was taking his three children to play in Hollywood. When he heard Ghost's words, he froze. His heart pounded wildly, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Jennifer asked, seeing Jack's state.

"Nothing, I'm just a bit hot. Shall we go get ice cream? You guys lead the way, I need to take a call!" The three children cheered and started looking for an ice cream shop. Jack walked with them, asking, "When?"

"Just now. Today I noticed someone was following him. They didn't seem like police, more like agents, so I had to eliminate him," Mo Fei said directly.

"Eliminate? You did it?" Jack was scared, but he quickly calmed down. "If you say it like that, then you don't want to eliminate me, right?" His voice was low. He glanced around; there were pedestrians, and no one was paying attention to him. The children were ahead.

"Yes, you should understand Jerry. If it were the police, I wouldn't have done this. With a lawyer present, they couldn't have gotten anything out of Jerry. But agents are different. Whether it's the FBI or the CIA, he wouldn't be able to hold up," Mo Fei didn't mention S.H.I.E.L.D. by name. If he had, Jack wouldn't know who they were, so it was better to use well-known intelligence agencies.

"How did we attract their attention?" Jack was a little intimidated.

"It's probably the bank's doing. They lost quite a bit in the stock market, and their reputation isn't great. They want to solve the case quickly, so they'll do some public relations. Jerry, on the other hand, has no ties. With some threats and enticements, I suspect he would have spilled everything. You and Roy, however, have family to look after, so you wouldn't yield so easily. That's why I have faith in you two. If we get through this, we'll be partners. If not, you'll both surely die," Mo Fei said, then hung up the phone.