S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Deal

"Oh~ What wind blew you here? Crimson Silver Baron, or rather... Mr. Su Ming?

Or have you finally made up your mind to join my plan?"

Nick Fury looked at Su Ming, dressed in a red formal suit, and showed a friendly expression.

Su Ming taking the initiative to visit was undoubtedly good news for him. His plan was sorely lacking a powerful superhero like Su Ming...

Taking the coffee Agent Hill handed him, Su Ming quietly thanked her and fell into brief thought.

He had planned to sneak into the village and keep the guns quiet.

He hadn't expected to run into Hawkeye, cause such a commotion, and even alert the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

If Fury weren't still hoping to get him involved in that plan, his attitude probably wouldn't be this friendly right now.

However, if he wanted to obtain Tony's father's box, having a proper talk with Director Fury seemed like a good idea.

As she watched Su Ming think, Maria Hill's eyes flickered slightly.

Before this, she had only seen his awe-inspiring exploits on television.

This was her first time interacting with him at such close range. Agent Hill admired Su Ming's exquisitely crafted formal suit and the mask covered in engravings, secretly nodding to herself.

"As expected of the man ranked number one in popularity among superheroes. At the very least, his taste is above the passing line..."

Leaving aside Agent Hill, who was secretly judging Su Ming from head to toe.

Su Ming felt it was better to speak plainly. Beating around the bush didn't suit his personality.

"Director, I came here this time to ask you for something."

"Oh?"

Though Nick Fury had not heard the answer he wanted, his curiosity had been piqued.

What could make Su Ming barge into S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters just to get it?

He silently watched Su Ming, waiting for an explanation.

"It's a relic left behind by Tony Stark's father—a box."

Su Ming openly stated the purpose of his visit.

Director Nick Fury's gaze flashed, and he was puzzled.

Why did Su Ming want something that belonged to Tony's father?

How did he know it was a box?

Was there something here that I didn't know?

Natasha's earlier report had mentioned that Tony seemed to be facing a palladium poisoning crisis.

He had also arranged for a team of experts to study Howard Stark's relics inside and out, yet they had found nothing. Could Su Ming know something?

"What do you want it for?"

Nick Fury directly voiced the question in his heart.

Su Ming observed Nick Fury's reaction upon hearing about Stark's relic and found nothing unusual, leading him to conclude that they had yet to discover its true value.

There was no way he could tell him...

"What I want it for isn't important. I hope Director Fury can give it to me. At the very least, I can guarantee that it will serve its purpose."

Su Ming was full of confidence.

Come on, the Stark father and son were both geniuses among geniuses. The riddle Old Stark left behind could only be solved by Young Stark.

You may have started researching it long ago, but I'm afraid you haven't made much progress...

Nick Fury rolled his single eye, considering Su Ming's words.

He realized that an opportunity had appeared before him—an opportunity to negotiate with Su Ming.

The bargaining chip was Stark's relic.

With that thought, Nick Fury made up his mind.

"Mr. Silver Duke, I can give you the item, but..."

Listening to the old Black man draw out the last word with obvious ulterior motives, Su Ming inwardly thought that it was exactly as expected.

None of these leaders of powerful factions were easy to deal with. The moment they caught an opening, they would definitely make demands of their own.

Thinking that, Su Ming spoke.

"Director Fury, I have no intention of joining your plan. If you want me to act...

Same old rule—you have to place an order!"

Nick Fury nodded knowingly and waved a hand.

"Don't worry, I won't make you work for nothing. To be honest, no one but you is really suited for this."

Su Ming inwardly dismissed it. These old hands had long mastered the art of casually making empty promises and flattering people. The opinions that came out of their mouths had no value whatsoever.

When Nick Fury finally explained what he wanted Su Ming to do, Su Ming suddenly understood.

It turned out that this was not a commission from S.H.I.E.L.D., but an order from the military.

General Ross was pushing forward a secret project, but one of the researchers had escaped. His serum sample was extremely important to the military's project.

Nick Fury had once recommended Su Ming, this extraordinarily capable bounty hunter, to General Ross, but General Ross had not made his stance clear at the time.

Not long after their conversation, however, he had sent someone to find Nick Fury.

He stated that if they could successfully retrieve the serum sample, the military would provide S.H.I.E.L.D. with funding for scientific research.

In other words, the military would not associate with bounty hunters, but S.H.I.E.L.D. was a different matter.

"One hundred million, Mr. Silver Duke. As agreed, I am formally commissioning you to complete the mission of recovering the serum. Once the mission is complete, not only will I pay your fee, but I will also hand over the Stark relic you want in full..."

Su Ming repeatedly considered Nick Fury's words.

No matter how carefully Fury phrased it, General Ross, a military project, a researcher...

You might as well have given me Bruce Banner's ID number directly!

Wasn't it just that super-soldier project? Why all the secrecy?

Could the target this time actually be the Hulk—Hulk?

In the past, Su Ming would never have even dared to consider such a mission. After all, Hulk was an almost invincible existence in the Marvel universe.

But ever since his body had been enhanced, even Su Ming did not know where his limits lay. So even if his opponent this time was Hulk, he had no misgivings whatsoever.

He even felt a faint sense of anticipation...

Perhaps this time, he might be able to find his limits.

But even though he was eager to test his strength against the Hulk, he could not make himself seem too agreeable.

These old foxes could infer a great deal from the smallest clues.

After hesitating for a while, Su Ming reluctantly agreed.

This made Director Nick Fury extremely happy.

General Ross was an influential figure in the military, and there were even faint signs that he might rise further.

If I gain his support, my plan will move forward much more smoothly!

After finalizing several details, leaving Agent Hill's contact information, and declining Nick Fury's enthusiastic invitation to dinner, Su Ming left the Triskelion.

Come on, so many people had once offered money to have dinner with me, and I hadn't felt the slightest interest. Let alone you, an old Black boss...

What he did not know was that the person who had contacted Alisha and offered to pay for dinner with Su Ming had also been a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Right now, he was dutifully watching the entrance at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York branch...

Manhattan Hotel.

Just as Su Ming finally lay comfortably on the bed, ready to get a good night's sleep.

A familiar figure sprang through the window—Spider-Man, Peter Parker.

His mask was damaged, revealing half his face. He was covered in wounds, and after climbing over the windowsill, he weakly collapsed onto the floor.

Su Ming hurriedly helped Peter up and gently laid him on the sofa.

As far as he remembered, Peter had never been beaten up this badly...

Could it be?

Just as Su Ming gradually recalled some Spider-Man plotlines, a question surfaced in his mind.

"Could there be overlapping storylines among these different versions of Spider-Man?"

As Su Ming pondered how the different versions of the original plot could possibly be made self-consistent, Little Spider spoke.

"Mr. Silver Duke, I killed someone..."

Peter's words immediately drew Su Ming's attention.

Did Spider-Man have such an explosive plotline? Why couldn't he quite remember it?

He said aloud.

"Peter, don't panic. Rest for a moment and tell me slowly. Don't be afraid, it's safe here."

Yet Peter grabbed Su Ming's arm, stared at him with two reddened eyes, and said with trembling lips.

"Sir, I killed my best friend's father!"