Damn This World

The back alley of the bar was a dark passage, dark enough to harbor every kind of sin.

The smell of blood hung thick in the air, refusing to dissipate. Zhang Ye knew this was where the local gangs typically "handled" their rivals.

However, it was also a decent place for a conversation; at least no one would come to disturb them. Aside from the rats gnawing on rotting meat, there were no other living creatures in this alley.

"I need some supplies and some intelligence." Zhang Ye didn't drag things out, stating his requirements directly.

"Haha, I like your straightforward nature. Go ahead, tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you at the lowest market price." Nick Fury lit a cigarette.

"Eight crates of gasoline, two shotguns and submachine guns, two thousand rounds of ammunition for each, and intelligence on the remaining members of the Avengers."

Hearing Zhang Ye's words, Nick Fury didn't react at first, but when he heard "Avengers," his expression froze instantly. He stared fixedly at Zhang Ye's face, the cigarette in his hand trembling slightly.

The atmosphere turned rigid, as if the air had become viscous, seemingly laced with a faint metallic scent of rust.

A moment later, Nick Fury let out a dry, hollow laugh. He pointed a finger at Zhang Ye. "It seems you've investigated my identity, but you aren't here for me. So, what is your objective?"

"That has nothing to do with you. I will pay you handsomely."

"Ha, hahaha—cough, cough. A handsome reward? Hahaha, in this godforsaken world, do you think I don't know? Everything is over, everything is going to hell, the whole world is finished."

Zhang Ye's words seemed to have triggered a switch deep within Nick Fury's heart. He laughed loudly, his entire body shaking. "That freak Charles, he used his damn ability to control every single senator. He doesn't understand anything; he's just a paranoid bastard. Look at this.

Look at the land beneath our feet. The American Dream? It's all bullshit! The Avengers failed, and we failed too. No one can survive this catastrophe; only those mutant freaks can continue to linger on in their wretched existence!"

"Sir, calm down."

"Calm down? We killed Captain with a Patriot Missile!" Nick Fury growled in a low voice. At this moment, he was like a beast that had failed to recover from a severe wound, possessing no ability to bare its fangs at the enemy, only capable of hissing.

"I said, you'd better calm down." Zhang Ye pulled out the pistol from his coat.

"..."

Staring at the pitch-black muzzle, Nick Fury fell silent. The surroundings were so quiet that one could only hear his ragged breathing, sounding like a broken bellows.

After a pause, Nick Fury finally spoke. "I know what you people want to do. I can help you. I can tell you all the intelligence I have, and I can give you the weapons. Anyway, this world couldn't possibly get any worse."

As he spoke, he produced a key. "This is for my Safe House in the suburbs. Everything you need is inside."

"What about the intelligence on the Avengers?" Zhang Ye didn't take the key, asking instead.

"I haven't seen Captain or Stark in a long time, not until I heard the news of their deaths." Nick Fury leaned against the wall and slowly slid down. "Unlike the others in the Avengers, my relationship with Captain was the deepest. He was the one who taught me how to be a soldier."

"The Howling Commandos?" Pietro interjected.

Nick Fury looked up, nodded at Pietro. "Yes. Captain chose me out of countless others, and he changed me. We were the key to that victory. During the war, we went through all sorts of life-and-death crises. Sometimes, we even had to eat the flesh of our own comrades just to survive."

"You guys... ate human flesh?"

"Yes. It was Captain who taught me the ways of the world, for the sake of victory."

Zhang Ye's grip on the gun tightened. It seemed this world truly wasn't worth saving. There was no justice, no evil—only one group of lunatics after another. President X was one, and the Avengers were another.

"What I want to know is, besides mutants, are there any other supernatural powers in this world? People, objects, even the kind that requires blood sacrifices of tens of thousands—anything." Zhang Ye asked the question he most wanted answered.

When Nick Fury heard this, he let out a laugh. "Haha, you're a lunatic too, you're a lunatic! Just like that female madwoman who claimed she killed a producer using 'magic'."

"You just need to answer my question."

"No, understand? All that bullshit about the Thor Cult, all that bullshit about Strange—they're all just a bunch of lunatics. They are nothing more than mortals who can't go on living, trying to deceive the world in this way, and in the end, they've even deceived themselves. Understand? In this world, only this way allows them to sleep at night.

But what was their end? That old madman who claimed to be the reincarnation of Thor was dragged out of his home and beaten to death in the street. That woman who claimed to be the harvest goddess Sif was eventually burned into a dried corpse and hung in the fields as a scarecrow. This world is already finished, understand?"

As he spoke, Nick Fury bared his teeth at Zhang Ye. "If you believe those lunatics, then whatever you're trying to do will never succeed. The only thing in this world worth trusting is the gun in your hand."

Listening to Nick Fury's words, Zhang Ye's heart sank further. It seemed there really were no supernatural things in this world. No Asgard, no Kamar-Taj.

Without these places, he wouldn't need to waste effort searching for supernatural artifacts. Perhaps this world didn't even have an Infinity Stone, let alone heavy hitters like the Ultimate Nullifier or the Cosmic Cube.

"Tell me about yourself, Nick. How did you end up in this state? I remember your name is on the wanted list, so you must have opposed President X as well."

Hearing this, Nick Fury lowered his head, his once-burly frame appearing somewhat hunched.

"...No, I'm just a piece of trash. President X is invincible. You don't understand, and you never will. When you face him directly, he will turn your brain into mush, making you endure hellish agony. All your secrets will be exposed before him, and your resistance is nothing more than the struggle of an ant."

Nick Fury clutched his head, muttering with vacant eyes. His eyes were bloodshot, and his body trembled incessantly.

"Is that all?" It was hard to imagine that after Professor X turned evil, he would be this formidable, enough to make Nick Fury fear him to this extent. One had to remember, the President X of this world was quite weak compared to other universes.

"His ability should be telepathy, right? As a mutant, I don't believe he has no weaknesses. Look at other mutants; more or less, their abilities bring them some side effects. Take that big guy who turned himself into a statue, for instance. Is President X's ability really that perfect, without a single flaw?"

Nick Fury was silent for a while, seemingly pondering something. He rubbed his hands together and then spoke.

"...It's not that, either. I remember he wasn't like this originally. Later, I heard he absorbed too many people's memories, which caused him to develop multiple personalities, turning him into a freak who is neither human nor ghost. Sometimes he is polite, sometimes he rages and curses at people, and some have even seen him sitting in his wheelchair, driving down the road without any clothes on."

"I think I understand." Zhang Ye nodded thoughtfully. "What about him now? After the Avengers were wiped out, he hasn't shown his face. Where would he be?"

"I don't know. His whereabouts have always been secretive." Nick Fury shuddered, shaking his head tremblingly.

Seeing this, Zhang Ye sighed.

"Alright, thank you for your help, Nick."

"Then my..." Nick Fury looked up, about to say something, but he suddenly froze in place. He saw Zhang Ye in front of him pointing his pistol directly at his forehead.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Ye pulled the trigger. The dull gunshot was quickly swallowed by the darkness, and just like before, it didn't attract anyone's attention.

It was just...

One more corpse in the alley.