Hawkeye's Astonishment

Unlike cool New York, Washington was far more sweltering.

But the heat eased somewhat near the water.

After nearly nine hours in the air, Su Ming finally arrived at the location of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters.

Su Ming was clad in the Crimson Suit, a mask covering his face.

Although Nick Fury knew him, they probably would not welcome what he had come to do this time.

To be safe, he should keep a low profile...

Looking at the majestic building standing beneath the setting sun, a thought flashed through Su Ming's mind:

So this is the Triskelion?!

Why does it look more and more like a bunker?

Shaking his head slightly to clear away the random thoughts, Su Ming felt somewhat conflicted:

Should I sneak in... or rob the place?

The box Howard Stark had left behind should be here, but finding an ordinary box in an entire building would probably be a bit difficult~

The box might be in an archive room or a warehouse, but he had never been inside before, much less searched for anything.

Su Ming felt that this situation seemed strangely familiar...

He instantly remembered how this was no different from when he had hesitated outside Stark Tower.

"Forget it. No more overthinking!"

Su Ming pushed off with both feet, spotted a platform near the rooftop, and leaped into the air.

After his physical enhancement, Su Ming could easily jump two or three hundred meters. A few floors were nothing.

"I'll get inside first..."

Hawkeye Clint Barton had been in a good mood lately. After a period of hard work, he had practically become one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents.

Having just taught a few lawbreakers a lesson, he was preparing to return to headquarters and adjust his compound bow.

Then, a conspicuous flash of red appeared in his Dynamic Vision.

Hawkeye focused his gaze and saw a black-haired man in a crimson formal suit and a pure silver mask rushing toward the director's office at incredible speed.

"Is that him?"

Instinctively nocking an arrow and drawing his bow, Clint did not know whether Su Ming was friend or foe, but judging by how he was preparing to force his way into the building from outside...

He was clearly an uninvited guest.

Ever since Su Ming had been exposed in a live media broadcast on the night the Lizard Man attacked the Osborn Building, few people failed to recognize that iconic outfit of his.

"What a show-off..."

Hawkeye Clint had naturally seen Su Ming clearly. He could not understand why someone good-looking enough already had to dress up so flamboyantly...

Like a monkey attending a circus in full formal attire.

Yet if he was so high-profile, why wear a mask and refuse to show his real face?

What a complicated guy.

His thoughts wandered, but his hands showed no mercy whatsoever.

Whoosh~

An arrow tipped with alloy steel streaked toward Su Ming's chest like a flash of light.

"Consider this a warning. This isn't how you enter headquarters..."

Just as he was about to land on the spacious balcony, Su Ming's Spider-Sense suddenly sounded an alarm.

"An arrow?!"

The shrieking arrow abruptly slowed in his vision.

Su Ming casually raised an arm, placing his palm in the arrow's path. From afar, it looked as though he were waving hello to the other person.

Clang~!

The alloy steel arrowhead instantly twisted out of shape in his palm, while the shaft bent and bounced away.

Tap!

He landed steadily on the broad balcony and looked down.

"Well, well~ Isn't that Hawkeye~"

Short golden hair, slightly messy; an efficient agent's aura; pale blue eyes with a sharp gaze, embodying the focus expected of a top marksman.

Of average build and leanly muscled, not to mention the compound bow in his hand—he was obviously an agility-type hero.

Su Ming suddenly realized that the arrow he had casually blocked had been shot by Hawkeye below.

"Is this your way of saying hello?..."

He casually waved at Hawkeye, preparing to turn around and enter the building to continue searching for the box.

Below, Hawkeye clearly watched his powerful shot get casually blocked by the other man's palm.

He froze on the spot.

"What the f**k!?"

It had clearly hit him?!

How had it done nothing?

He had never heard of Su Ming having an invisible shield.

Clint's eyesight was excellent. He had seen the entire process clearly, but his brain could not process what his eyes had conveyed.

Seeing the other man ignore him and even wave provocatively, Hawkeye stubbornly nocked another arrow and drew his bow again.

"You still dare go inside? Stop right there!!"

Whoosh~! Whoosh~~

This time, the arrows carried smoke bomb and miniature explosive warheads.

Though Hawkeye was an archer, he could change his attack effects by switching the arrowheads he used. That was what made his combat style so flexible and varied.

Hiss—! Boom!!

The smoke bomb released a large amount of choking smoke, and the miniature bomb that followed blasted the smoke outward in every direction...

"You won't learn what manners are until you suffer a little."

Clint believed his combination of smoke bomb and explosive arrow would not cause the other man too much harm, but as long as he got a taste of the smoke bomb's sting...

His little punishment would have achieved its purpose.

Su Ming, however, was getting rather irritated by Hawkeye.

He held two arrows in his hands—one still hissing with smoke, while the other had gone completely still after exploding.

Su Ming took a deep breath.

"Whew—"

He violently expelled the air gathered in his chest, creating a powerful gust.

The smoke lingering on the platform was instantly swept away.

Looking at his palm, blackened by the explosion, Su Ming decided to go down and have a word with Hawkeye.

What was this supposed to be?

Arrow after arrow coming at him...

"It's annoying, okay?"

When Su Ming's figure dropped straight down beside Clint like a cannonball.

Hawkeye was stunned...

The balcony outside the director's office was at least ten floors above the ground, and this guy had just jumped straight down??

And his current position was on the other side of the artificial lake~

Ten floors, an artificial lake...

Bro, you crossed all that in one step?

Had I just shot arrows at him?

And shot twice?

What was I doing?

Was I going to die?

Su Ming looked at the dumbfounded Hawkeye beside him, raised a hand to pat him on the shoulder, and conveniently wiped the soot from his hand onto him.

"Hello!~

You're Hawkeye, right?!~

I have urgent business inside—don't make trouble, okay~"

Just as Hawkeye had yet to recover from his shock, his phone rang.

Clint subconsciously pressed the call button on his earpiece.

"Hey~ Agent Barton, please bring my guest over..."

Clint looked around, still not understanding.

"Who? Which guest?"

Nick Fury, standing before the huge floor-to-ceiling window in his office and looking at the red figure below, smiled pleasantly.

"Of course, Mr. Crimson Silver Baron beside you!"

Nick Fury had been sitting peacefully in his office when a sudden explosion above his head gave him quite a fright.

Well now, who dared stir up trouble right under his nose?

He rose and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, only to see a figure shoot downward with a whoosh.

Old Nick focused with his one remaining eye and was immediately surprised.

"Isn't that Su Ming? Mr. Crimson Silver Baron~!"

Watching Su Ming make a huge leap from above his head to the shore across the artificial lake.

Nick Fury wore an incredulous expression.

"Oh~ my God~!!

How did he do that?

What other abilities does this Su Ming have that I don't know about?"

He recalled the plan General Ross had discussed with him earlier.

Nick Fury's eyes lit up, and he took out his phone to call Clint...

Before the call connected, Nick Fury thought:

Clint was a rare genius. Not long after joining S.H.I.E.L.D., he had already displayed extraordinary ability.

His ability to adapt to changing circumstances was exceptional, and he could always precisely achieve his objective during complex missions.

He had gradually become one of the agents Nick Fury valued most.

The other was Natasha Romanoff. He wondered how her investigation over at Tony Stark's place was progressing...