"Forget it. I can't worry about all that right now. I'll get the man here first..."
Carl could no longer think of anyone more suitable than Dr. Samuel Sterns to crack the Super Soldier Serum.
So even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, he had to give it a try.
Thus, after briefly comforting Pietro, the God of Pure Love—
Carl controlled the Black Widow and sent a signal to Nick Fury.
Very soon, an encrypted number filled with asterisks called in.
"Natasha, how did it go? Have you figured out what that mysterious item is?"
The moment the call connected, Nick Fury's anxious voice came through.
Carl sneered. "Nick Fury, isn't S.H.I.E.L.D. overreaching a little too much?!"
"Hm?"
Nick Fury was clearly taken aback. After several seconds of silence, he cautiously asked, "You are... Carl Mala?"
A cold snort came from the other end of the line, answering his question.
What the hell?
Who did this brat think he was talking to?
I was the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.!
I asked him a question, and he actually dared to answer with nothing but a "hmph"?
Nick Fury's face immediately darkened.
Normally, whether they were military and political officials or superheroes, who wouldn't give him some respect... no, at least a great deal of respect?
Yet this little punk, fresh out of nowhere, was actually this arrogant?
He really didn't take me seriously at all!
Fine. Very good. There would come a day when this brat regretted it.
He would remember this debt for now.
Suppressing the urge to lose his temper, Nick Fury said in a deep voice:
"Since you know who I am, you should understand that S.H.I.E.L.D. represents the United Nations Security Council!"
"So if you dare lay a finger on Agent Romanoff, don't blame me—"
Before he could finish his threat, Carl impatiently cut him off. "So what if it's the Security Council?"
"If you want to use the United Nations to pressure me, you'd better make them pay back the 60 billion they owe Sokovia first!!"
Wasn't it just some lousy S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Why the hell did he have so much drama?
Even that bald Greater Daemon, the Ancient One, wouldn't dare act this arrogantly in front of me! (Dog-head emoji for safety.)
Nick Fury was instantly dumbfounded on the other end of the line.
He had never expected the other party to bring up money.
It was only 60 billion!
Although the Security Council definitely couldn't pay it back, but... what did that have to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. in the slightest?
My salary still came in, and I still took dirty money!
Seeing that force wouldn't work, Nick Fury could only suppress his rising blood pressure and calmly say:
"Carl Mala, I think you may have misunderstood. S.H.I.E.L.D. bears you no ill will.
"The reason we sent Agent Romanoff there was merely to invite you to join the Avengers."
"And logically speaking, the base Hydra left behind in Sokovia, along with all the facilities and equipment inside it, should be handed over to S.H.I.E.L.D. for disposal..."
Nick Fury's words were half true and half false.
Although Carl's abilities already met the standards for joining the Avengers—
His cold, ruthless, bloodthirsty style made Fury wary.
Or rather, made Fury see him as a threat!
Because people like that were often unwilling to obey anyone else's orders.
Unless they could get hold of some critically important leverage.
And the conversation just now further confirmed his suspicion.
Therefore, Nick Fury had already given up on inviting Carl to join the Avengers and classified him as a super-criminal with unstable factors!!
There was no helping it.
In Nick Fury's eyes, aside from companions and allies who obeyed him, everyone else was either a criminal or a potential criminal.
Hearing this, Carl's lips curled into a mocking smile as he provocatively said, "If you've got the guts, send someone over to take it!!"
"Besides, I have no interest in being anyone else's watchdog..."
Nick Fury was immediately displeased.
Look at that. Just listen to how unpleasant this young man was.
What did he mean by being someone else's dog?
Was S.H.I.E.L.D. just anyone?
We were a sacred organization that shed sweat and blood to protect all humanity.
So... there was nothing shameful about being our dog, okay?!!
Ordinary people weren't even qualified if they wanted to be our dogs.
But before Nick Fury could speak, Carl continued, "All right, enough small talk. Let's discuss the deal!"
"A deal?"
The latest novels debut here!
Nick Fury had a face full of question marks!
"The Black Widow is in my hands. If you want her returned alive, bring Samuel Stern in exchange. I know he's in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody."
"Besides, the Black Widow deliberately toyed with my brother's feelings to gather intelligence. S.H.I.E.L.D. can pay another ten million dollars in compensation for emotional damages."
"If you don't pay, or if you try anything funny... I'll have her expose every dirty thing you've done behind the Security Council's back over the years."
Nick Fury's emotions rose and fell like a roller coaster.
When he first heard that Carl wanted to trade for Samuel Stern, suspicion immediately surged within him.
He had been about to ask what the other party wanted with Stern—
Only to hear that he was also demanding ten million dollars in breakup compensation?
Good lord, this was truly something he had never seen before!
Had this brat gotten so used to running honey traps that he thought he could extort S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Why didn't he go ask around? S.H.I.E.L.D. was like a pixiu—only taking in, never giving out. When had they ever spat out a single cent?
However—
His toughness lasted less than three seconds.
When Nick Fury heard that final sentence, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
Because he had secretly done far too many bad things over the years.
So many that even he himself could no longer remember them all.
Not to mention, charges like taking dirty money, claiming salaries for nonexistent employees, and misappropriating public funds were enough to get him shot eight hundred times.
And as the executor of most classified missions, the Black Widow knew far too much.
Nick Fury had never imagined that one day, he would be brought down by her!
So what the hell was there left to discuss?
This time, I would very firmly and directly... compromise!!!
"Give me an account number. I'll have someone transfer the money later."
Nick Fury forcibly swallowed the harsh words at the tip of his tongue and said through gritted teeth:
"I'll notify you later of the time and place for the hostage exchange."
With that, he hung up first.
As though doing so could recover even a sliver of psychological comfort.
"Things went unexpectedly smoothly?"
Carl had originally thought that old schemer Nick Fury wouldn't compromise so easily and would definitely drag him into an intense back-and-forth for half the day.
Who would've thought... that was it?!
It seemed that he had been somewhat overestimating Old Mo's capabilities because of the movies!!!
Before you continue