Hydra?

Washington, D.C.

The noon sun was somewhat glaring, and traffic flowed endlessly through the busy streets of the capital district.

An unmarked black Chevrolet SUV blended into the traffic. Inside, Nick Fury drove while listening to encrypted reports over S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal channel.

His brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

Project Insight was about to go online, yet he had discovered that he could not access its core code. The system prompt said: Insufficient clearance.

He was the director, and he had insufficient clearance?

"Looks like I've become an outsider too."

Fury mocked himself just as he prepared to turn at an intersection.

"Boom!!"

A police car slammed into him from the side without warning, the tremendous impact throwing the bulletproof SUV straight into the roadside guardrail.

Immediately afterward, more than a dozen "police cars" rushed in from every direction. A group of heavily armed SWAT officers quickly disembarked and unleashed indiscriminate suppressing fire on Fury's vehicle.

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!!"

The bulletproof glass was instantly covered in spiderweb cracks, while the armor groaned in protest.

"Under attack! Requesting backup!" Fury shouted, but his communicator offered only piercing static.

This was no ordinary attack. This was a planned execution.

Gritting his teeth, Fury activated the vehicle-mounted machine gun and returned fire. He barely carved a bloody path through them, driving the SUV—now down to three wheels—out of the encirclement.

However, just when he thought he had escaped for the moment.

In the middle of the street ahead stood a long-haired man wearing a mask, his left arm gleaming with silver metal.

He raised a grenade launcher. His gaze was cold as ice as he pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes.

"Bang!"

A disc-shaped mine slid precisely beneath the car.

"Boom—!!"

The SUV was blasted into the air by the massive shockwave, tumbling before smashing into the ground. It skidded for over a dozen meters before coming to a stop.

Fury was trapped inside the mangled cabin, his face covered in blood and his consciousness fading. Through the shattered window, he saw the metal-armed assassin striding toward him, drawing a submachine gun.

This time, I'm really done for...

Fury's trembling hand reached into his jacket for an old pager—the last trump card for summoning Captain Marvel.

Just then.

"Thwip—!"

A tough white web suddenly shot down from a nearby high-rise, sticking precisely to the Winter Soldier's raised gun barrel before yanking hard!

"Rat-a-tat-tat!"

The bullets were instantly knocked off course, spraying sparks across the ground.

"Who?!" A flicker of emotion crossed the Winter Soldier's cold eyes.

"Your friendly neighborhood... oh, wait, your friendly foreign exchange student!"

A crisp girl's shout rang out.

A figure clad in a black-and-white hooded bodysuit descended from above. Using the momentum of her web swing, she planted both feet viciously into the Winter Soldier's chest, kicking the super-soldier back five or six meters.

Spider-Gwen supported herself with one hand and struck a stylish landing pose, her eyes beneath the hood curving into crescents.

"Hey, Astro Boy. Throwing bombs around is grounds for a fine, you know. And your haircut is way too edgy."

The Winter Soldier did not waste a single word. His metal left arm swept out abruptly, cutting through the air with a howl. His combat skills were master-level, every move deadly.

But Gwen was faster, more agile, and had the cheating advantage of Spider-Sense.

She danced through the gaps between the Winter Soldier's heavy punches, dodging every attack while casually webbing up his goggles.

"So this is Hydra's ace?"

Up on a billboard.

Jiang Li sat at the edge, holding a Washington specialty donut as he ate and commented.

"Good strength, perfect technique, but he's a little too rigid upstairs. Gwen's just playing with him."

After several months of "living together" and training, Gwen had completely adapted to the combat rhythm of this universe. With Stark Industries' upgraded web-shooters, taking on a standard super-soldier was ridiculously easy.

"He's over there! There's a sniper on the roof!"

On the street below, the supporting Hydra agents spotted Jiang Li. Several RPG rockets came shrieking toward him.

"Honestly, can't even enjoy afternoon tea in peace."

Jiang Li sighed, swallowed the donut in one bite, then stood and dusted the frosting from his hands.

"Since you all like playing with metal so much, let me introduce you to a true master of magnetism."

Jiang Li pressed the Omnitrix with his left hand and turned it to the icon of a yellow-and-black alien with a floating head, one eye, and a body radiating magnetic fluctuations.

"It's Hero Time!"

A flash of gold!

The figure on the billboard vanished.

In his place stood an alien whose magnet-like head floated above his shoulders, his body made of black metal and yellow carapace.

"Biosovortian—Polaris!"

"Rockets?"

Jiang Li's metallic voice, carrying a magnetic echo, rang out.

He did not even dodge. He merely raised his pincer-like hand, palm facing the incoming rockets.

"Magnetism... reverse!"

"Buzzz—!!"

The rockets that had been flying at high speed suddenly came to an abrupt stop in midair, defying all physical inertia!

Then, as if seized by an invisible giant hand, they turned around and flew back even faster!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The Hydra convoy below instantly became a sea of flames.

"We're not done yet."

Jiang Li leaped from the billboard, using magnetic levitation to float in midair like a descending god.

His gaze locked onto the Winter Soldier, who was still fighting Gwen.

More precisely, it locked onto the Winter Soldier's prized Adamantium/Vibranium alloy mechanical arm.

"That arm's pretty nice. Let me borrow it for a while."

Jiang Li extended a hand toward the Winter Soldier and curled his five fingers in the air.

The Winter Soldier was about to throw a heavy punch at Gwen when he suddenly felt an irresistible force seize his left arm! It was as though Earth's entire magnetic field was pulling on it!

"What?!"

The Winter Soldier was shocked. His body was dragged into the air by the force against his will, his feet leaving the ground as he floated helplessly.

"If you were Wolverine, with nothing but bones, I might have to put in a little effort. But this arm of yours..."

Jiang Li snapped his two pincer hands together.

"Is just an oversized magnet!"

"Hold!"

The Winter Soldier was pinned in midair in a spread-eagle position. His left arm was locked tight by magnetic force. No matter how he struggled, before one who controlled magnetic fields, metal was the finest shackle.

"That's called... elemental suppression."

Jiang Li, as Polaris, floated before the Winter Soldier. Looking at the assassin who had once been Captain America's best friend, his floating head spun around once.

"Gwen, dig that one-eyed director out of the scrap heap. Don't let him die. He's our long-term meal ticket."

"Roger that, boss!"

Gwen swung over and easily tore open the warped car door.

Just then.

"Buzzzzz—"

The roar of engines suddenly came from the sky.

A S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet—actually Hydra's—hovered above the street, its cannons aimed at Jiang Li and Gwen.

"If you don't release him, we'll open fire! This is S.H.I.E.L.D.'s highest order!" Rumlow's cold voice came through the loudspeaker.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Jiang Li laughed, laughing so hard that his head spun twice on his shoulders.

"Have you got something confused?"

The magnetic force within Jiang Li began to churn wildly. Every nearby car, streetlamp, and even the water pipes buried underground began to shake violently, humming in resonance.

"When my BGM is playing, any metal has to obey me!"

"Magnetic Storm!!"

Jiang Li slammed both hands downward.

"Screeech—!!"

The massive Quinjet in the sky suddenly let out the ear-piercing shriek of twisting metal.

It was as though two invisible giant hands had seized its wings.

The next second, the sturdy fuselage was crumpled directly into a ball of scrap metal!

"Boom!"

The aircraft lost power and crashed like a hunk of junk at the end of the street, yet it somehow did not explode—because the bomb fuses inside had also been destroyed by magnetism.

The entire scene fell silent.

Only the alarms continued to echo.

Jiang Li canceled his transformation and walked over to the mangled SUV.

Fury, his face still covered in blood, was being supported by Gwen. He still clutched that pager tightly in his hand.

Jiang Li glanced at the pager and reached out to press down Fury's hand.

"Put it away, Nick."

Jiang Li looked down at the director. "With us here, there's no need for that auntie wandering around outer space to come save the day."

Fury panted heavily as he looked at the boy who seemed like a demon god. A complicated emotion flashed through his single eye.

But in the end, he merely shoved the pager back into his jacket and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"You were late, consultant. I'm docking your pay."

"No problem."

Jiang Li shrugged and pointed at the Winter Soldier, who was still hanging from a streetlamp, looking completely dumbfounded and as though he were questioning his entire existence.

"Steve Rogers will definitely be willing to pay a hefty price for this side job anyway."

"After all..."

A mischievous smile curled across Jiang Li's lips.

"I caught the 'ghost' he's wanted to see most in his life. And he's alive."