This Damned World

Behind the bar was a dark alley, dark enough to hide every kind of sin.

The smell of blood lingered in the air. Zhang Ye knew this was usually where the bar's gangs "dealt with" rival forces.

Still, it was a good place to talk. At least no one would come to disturb them. Aside from rats gnawing on rotting flesh, there were no other living creatures in the alley.

"I need some supplies and some intelligence." Zhang Ye did not waste time and stated his demands directly.

"Haha, I like people as straightforward as you. Go on, what do you want? 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 for each, plus intelligence on the other Avengers."

Nick Fury showed no reaction to Zhang Ye's words, but the moment he heard "Avengers," his expression froze. He stared intently at Zhang Ye's face, and even the cigarette in his hand trembled slightly.

The atmosphere instantly stiffened, as if the air itself had become thick, mixed with a faint scent of rust.

After a moment, Nick Fury let out a dry laugh. He pointed at Zhang Ye. "Looks like you investigated my identity. But you're not here for me, so what's your goal?"

"It has nothing to do with you. I'll pay you well."

"Ha, hahaha—cough, cough. Pay me well? Hahaha, this damned world. Do you think I don't know? It's all over. Everything is going to hell. The whole world is finished."

Zhang Ye's words seemed to flip some switch deep inside Nick Fury. He laughed loudly, his entire body shaking. "That freak Charles used his damned power to control every senator. He understands nothing. He's just an obsessive bastard. Look at this.

Look at the land beneath our feet. What American dream? It's all bullshit! The Avengers failed, and so did we. No one can survive this catastrophe. Only those mutant freaks can keep dragging out their miserable lives!"

"Sir, calm down."

"Calm down? We killed the Captain with a Patriot Missile!" Nick Fury snarled under his breath. At that moment, he was like a badly wounded beast, no longer capable of baring his fangs at an enemy except to roar.

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

"..."

Staring at the black muzzle, Nick Fury fell silent. The surrounding silence was so complete that only his rough breathing could be heard, like an old broken bellows.

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

As he spoke, he took out a key. "This is my Safe House in the suburbs. It has everything you need."

"What about intelligence on the Avengers?" Zhang Ye did not take the key and continued questioning him.

"I hadn't seen the Captain or Stark for a long time, not until I heard they were dead." Nick Fury leaned against the wall and slowly sat down. "Unlike the others in the Avengers, my bond with the Captain ran deepest. He taught me how to become a soldier."

"The Howling Commandos?" Pietro interjected.

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

"You ate human flesh?"

"Yeah. The Captain taught me how to conduct myself—for victory."

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

"What I want to know is whether there are any supernatural forces in this world besides mutants. People, objects, anything—even something that requires a blood ritual sacrificing tens of thousands of people." Zhang Ye asked the question he most wanted answered.

Nick Fury laughed when he heard that. "Haha, you're a lunatic too. You're a lunatic too! Just like that crazy woman who claimed she killed a producer with 'magic.'"

"You only need to answer my question."

"No. Understand? That Thor Cult, that Strange nonsense—they're all lunatics. They're merely mortals who can't survive, trying to deceive the world this way, until they finally deceive themselves too. Understand? In this world, that's the only way they can sleep at night.

But what happened to them? That old lunatic who called himself Thor reincarnated was dragged from his home and beaten to death in the street. That woman who called herself Sif, goddess of the harvest, was burned into a dried corpse and hung in a field as a Scarecrow. This world is finished, understand?"

As he spoke, Nick Fury bared his teeth at Zhang Ye. "If you believe those lunatics, then whatever you plan to do will fail. The only thing worth trusting in this world is the gun in your hand."

Nick Fury's words made Zhang Ye's heart sink deeper and deeper. It seemed there really was nothing supernatural in this world—no Asgard, no Kamar-Taj.

Without those places, he would not need to waste effort searching for supernatural artifacts. Perhaps this world did not even have Infinity Stones, much less superweapons like the Ultimate Nullifier and the Cosmic Cube.

"Tell me about yourself, Nick. How did you end up like this? I remember your name was on the wanted list too, so you also fought against President X."

At those words, Nick Fury lowered his head. His once-burly body seemed somewhat hunched.

"...No. I'm just trash. President X is unbeatable. You don't understand. You never will. When you face him directly, he'll turn your brain into mush and make you suffer pain worse than hell. Every secret you have will be laid bare before him. Your resistance is nothing more than an ant's struggle."

Nick Fury clutched his head and muttered blankly. His eyes were bloodshot, and his body trembled without stopping.

"That's it?" It was hard to imagine Professor X becoming so terrifying after going dark that he had frightened Nick Fury into this state. After all, President X in this world was far weaker than his counterparts in other universes.

"His power should be telepathy, right? As a mutant, I don't believe he has no weaknesses. Look at the other mutants: their abilities affect them one way or another. Like that big guy who turned himself into a statue. Could President X's power really be so perfect, without a single flaw?"

Nick Fury was silent for a while, seemingly thinking of something. He rubbed his hands together before speaking.

"...Not exactly. I remember he wasn't like this before. Later, I heard he absorbed too many people's memories. That gave him multiple personalities and turned him into a lunatic, neither human nor ghost. Sometimes he was polite and refined. Sometimes he flew into a rage and cursed people out. Someone even saw him riding down the road in his wheelchair without any clothes on."

"I think I understand." Zhang Ye nodded thoughtfully. "Then where is he now? He hasn't appeared since the Avengers were wiped out. Where would he be?"

"I don't know. His movements have always been secretive." Nick Fury shuddered and shook his head tremulously.

Seeing this, Zhang Ye sighed.

"All right. Thanks for your help, Nick."

"Then my—" Nick Fury raised his head, about to say something, but suddenly froze. Zhang Ye was holding the pistol directly against his forehead.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Ye fired. The dull gunshot was quickly swallowed by the darkness, drawing no one's attention, just as before.

It was only that...

There was one more corpse in the alley.