Nick Fury

Late at night, Washington D.C. was still awash in neon lights and debauchery.

After the White House was moved away, this place was occupied by nearby states and gangs. Perhaps everyone wanted to experience what it was like to be where the president had once been. Dozens of gangs had taken root here, and gunfights broke out every day.

There was no law here, and all order had been shattered. This was a paradise for criminals and a cradle of evil. Countless addicts and scum gathered here. Compared to this place, even Gotham City might seem sunny and bright.

President X had originally intended to bring Washington D.C. under control, but the Avengers had kept him constantly occupied, leaving him no time to send troops to suppress the area. By the time he realized it, this place had already become an ungovernable black zone.

Zhang Ye drove through the area, one hand gripping the steering wheel while the other tightly clutched the pistol in his lap.

Honestly, living through two lives might have given Zhang Ye a powerful confidence, making him less socially anxious than he had been in his previous life. But the fear and tension brought on by uncontrollable chaos would never truly fade.

As he entered the city, there were more and more pedestrians on the road. Yet one look made Zhang Ye feel as though he had entered hell. Some were skin and bones, while others leaned against walls with their eyes rolled back. Garbage and vomit littered the streets, making Zhang Ye frown deeply.

If there had not been so many people here, Zhang Ye would not even have wanted to slow down. He would have floored the gas and driven straight through.

Zhang Ye's arrival drew some attention, but no one made any excessive moves. That barely counted as good news for him. After looking around, he turned his car into an alley.

Opening the door, Zhang Ye quickly slung his shoulder bag over himself, then opened the trunk and let Pietro out.

"Get dressed. This place will eat you alive and spit out nothing. I need to do a few things, and you need to keep me safe."

"Don't worry. I'll protect you." Pietro wore a bucket hat that concealed his silver hair, along with a long trench coat. He nodded seriously at Zhang Ye and promised him.

"There are quite a few mutants here. With them as cover, using your abilities here won't attract President X's attention. But you still need to be careful. Remember, your speed doesn't make you invincible." Zhang Ye reminded Quicksilver before the two of them left the alley one after the other.

Texas bordered Mexico, making it an extremely chaotic place. It was also too far from New York, so Zhang Ye had to prepare everything as quickly as possible. Along this route, nowhere was easier than Washington D.C. for getting fuel and weapons.

Once he left the alley and truly joined the crowd on foot, Zhang Ye felt the chaos here even more directly. Foul odors continuously assaulted his nose, making his stomach churn.

As they passed a bar, the crowd suddenly stirred. Two burly men were dragging out a gaunt, skeletal man and threw him out of the bar.

The man was tossed into filth, but he quickly crawled back up and staggered toward the two burly men. In a hoarse voice, he pleaded, "Just give me a little more. Please, I'll get the money. Please."

One of the burly men sneered and took a step back, seemingly disgusted by the filth covering the other man. Then he pulled out a handgun and pressed it directly against the man's forehead.

"Wade, this isn't the first time. Of all the things you could have done, you shouldn't have stolen my boss's goods."

"N-no, I didn't mean to. Please..." Wade trembled, stammering for a long time without managing a complete sentence.

"Your mouth doesn't work anymore? Hahaha." The burly man could not be bothered to toy with him any longer. He casually pulled the trigger and shot Wade dead. Then, as if remembering something unpleasant, he put several more bullets into Wade.

Not one person in the surrounding crowd stepped forward or said a word. It was as though it had nothing to do with them, as though they had merely watched a movie. It reminded Zhang Ye of Hawkeye's execution.

"What's wrong?" Pietro could not help asking.

"Nothing." Zhang Ye shook his head and headed toward the bar.

In a place like this, bars were undoubtedly the best way to gather information. Besides, compared with outside, the inside of a bar was actually safer. With gangs backing them, no one would dare cause trouble inside a bar.

Lifting his feet over Wade's corpse, Zhang Ye and Pietro walked straight into the bar. The two burly men chatted and laughed at the entrance, paying little attention to them. Perhaps discussing which street had the sexiest women mattered more to them.

The bar was dim and noisy, but it was much cleaner than the street outside. At the very least, Zhang Ye could not smell anything nauseating.

"New faces. What can I get you?" Just as Zhang Ye was about to find a seat, a Black girl approached with a dazzling smile on her face.

The girl had white hair and a great figure, but the scent of her perfume made Zhang Ye frown. "Find us somewhere quiet. And bring two drinks."

"As you wish, darling. Follow me." The girl blew him a kiss, then led Zhang Ye and Pietro to a corner of the bar. It really was one of the few quiet places in the bar, though a man of uncertain life or death lay on the floor beside the table.

"The drinks will be here soon. Please sit down first. Would you two like some service? Only twenty dollars." The girl bent down, displaying her attractive figure.

Zhang Ye did not react to her behavior. Instead, he asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"What's your name?"

The girl froze for a moment, then assumed it was some sort of fetish. Smiling sweetly, she said, "You can call me Ororo. Of course, you can give me a name too."

"Forget it." Zhang Ye waved his hand. "I'll call you if I need anything."

Hearing that, the girl felt somewhat displeased, but she said nothing. She simply turned and left without a word.

At that moment, Pietro could not help asking, "You know that girl?"

"Sort of. But she isn't the person from my memories. On the contrary, this only makes me more certain about our operation." Zhang Ye picked up the drink that had been delivered, hesitated for a moment, then put it back on the table.

Although Zhang Ye was thirsty, considering the environment here, he did not dare casually eat or drink anything. No one knew whether something strange had been added to the alcohol.

"You said we were going to prepare some gear here. How are we supposed to do that? Who should we look for?" Pietro was uncomfortable with the environment. He looked around as he spoke.

"We don't need to look for anyone. Someone will come looking for us." Zhang Ye said calmly.

Sure enough, after turning down who knew how many women who came over to sell themselves, a one-eyed white man approached.

He sat directly across from Zhang Ye and, without the slightest politeness, picked up Zhang Ye's untouched drink and drained it in one gulp.

"What, are you here to ask whether I need service too?" Zhang Ye stared at him and asked.

"Heh, I just didn't want these two drinks to go to waste." The one-eyed man grinned. "I know you're here to do business. Tell me what you need. Maybe I can help."

"How are you sure I'm here to do business?"

"It's simple. You came here not to have fun, but to sit quietly, and you didn't even touch your drinks. You must be important people. I may be blind in one eye, but I'm very good at judging people."

"Interesting. Fine, you got it right. Let's find somewhere to talk." It seemed that half of Zhang Ye's objective had been accomplished. He stood and followed the man toward the bar's back door.

Along the way, Zhang Ye learned the man's name: Nick Fury. He did not seem interested in keeping it secret.

Unlike the Black Nick Fury widely known in Zhang Ye's previous life, this Nick Fury was white. Likewise, he had been a member of the Howling Commandos founded by Captain America. What was puzzling was that this man had somehow fallen into such dire circumstances.