I F*cking Slapped Him Right Then and There

Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., a universally renowned bald man, and Jack's direct superior.

This man, who harbored countless secrets, was now sitting in his office chair, looking helplessly at the loudly arguing Jack and Ross. One was his subordinate, the other a neutral party; there was naturally no need to choose whom to protect.

But the cause of the incident left him deeply frustrated.

Colonel Ross had been distracted by Jack's sinister gaze and ultimately let Doctor Banner escape.

This... are you sure you weren't messing with Fury?

A colonel seasoned by countless wars had let Doctor Banner escape because he got distracted?

Just as Fury was beginning to suspect that Ross had been deliberately sent by the military to screw with him, Jack suddenly swung a massive slap at him in the middle of their argument!!!

What the fuck?!

Fury, whose face had remained poker-faced for ages, and Coulson and Hill, who had been sitting on the office sofa as background decorations, were all dumbfounded!

How had an argument suddenly turned into an actual face-slapping?

After delivering that slap and seeing his Evil Points rise by fifty thousand, Jack stared at his right hand in disbelief. One slap was worth half a Doctor Banner???

After quickly checking the breakdown of his Evil Points, Jack immediately understood why that slap had been worth fifty thousand.

"Slapping Colonel Ross thoroughly enraged him, causing Ross's attitude toward S.H.I.E.L.D. to shift into open hostility. Cooperation between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Colonel Ross regarding gamma research has completely ceased."

"Damaging the cooperative relationship between two important Marvel factions: Evil Points increased by fifty thousand."

The system notification made Jack feel that the slap had been quite worthwhile.

But when he saw Ross's expression, Jack felt that Ross might be planning to kill him on the spot...

Ross, who had never been directly slapped by anyone before, developed murderous intent after his initial shock faded. The undisguised killing intent in his eyes was so intense that he did not even listen when Fury, who had recovered his senses, tried to stop him.

"Listen carefully!"

"From today onward, S.H.I.E.L.D. will no longer be my friend!"

"And you, Jack Wilson! Your family! Your friends! Your subordinates! They will all die because of that slap!"

"Enough!!!" Fury slammed his hand onto the desk. His underling had indeed done something he should not have, but dragging S.H.I.E.L.D. into it directly changed the nature of the matter!

S.H.I.E.L.D. was not something Ross alone could threaten!

Cutting off Ross's threats, Fury immediately had Agent Coulson escort him out. "Coulson, take Colonel Ross out for a walk. I have important matters to deal with here."

Ross glared at Fury. Alone, he ignored Coulson and headed straight for the office door.

Once Ross left, Jack knew his punishment was coming.

He had slapped Ross on the spot and ruined the cooperation between the two sides. Fury... why was he smiling???

Holy shit!!! Fury smiled!!!

The smile on Fury's face vanished in an instant. Once his expression turned serious, he said to Jack, "Slapping a military colonel in front of the director—Wilson, do you think you're pretty impressive?"

"Do you think Fury is dead?"

"Since you're so capable, Coulson happens to be short an assistant for this trip to Antarctica. Go help him."

"And you will be demoted. Effective immediately, you are no longer Level Six, but provisional Level Two. Your position as head of the Manhattan District will temporarily be handled by Marian. Either you endure six months honestly and return to your original post, or find an opportunity to redeem yourself through meritorious service."

"Dismissed!"

Still utterly confused, Jack was ushered out of the office by Hill. He walked down the corridor to the elevator, and after stepping inside, he opened the system panel.

His negative fifty thousand Evil Points had barely changed. Rather than reassuring Jack, it only deepened the doubts in his heart.

Fury had smiled!

That was not normal!

When had Fury ever smiled!

Looking back over his three years in S.H.I.E.L.D., when had that black bald man ever not worn a dark expression? Well... his face was black to begin with, so perhaps it was hard to tell...

But Fury would never smile!

He was a cold robot!

Just as the uneasy Jack prepared to think more deeply about it, the elevator doors opened before him. A group of men in black suits and sunglasses stood in two neat lines to his left and right.

This display left Jack rather confused.

"A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent never takes off his sunglasses!"

No one knew who started it, but almost as soon as he finished speaking, the entire group shouted this freshly coined classic line in unison.

Marian, standing at the front, walked up with a smile. Teasingly, she said, "What's wrong? Even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most stubborn man can get scared?"

"The most... stubborn... this..."

Jack pondered it for a second or two before immediately figuring out what was going on.

At this point in time, Captain America had not even been dug out of Antarctica yet, so S.H.I.E.L.D. was still a very low-profile intelligence organization.

As S.H.I.E.L.D.'s underlings, they did not even dare raise their voices when speaking to other departments.

It was not until after the Battle of New York, when the S.H.I.E.L.D. that Fury had painstakingly cultivated and expanded over many years appeared before the entire world in full force, that everyone realized just how formidable Fury was and how powerful S.H.I.E.L.D. could be.

Only then did S.H.I.E.L.D. agents become figures who struck fear into all low- and mid-tier criminal elements.

But for now...

You said S.H.I.E.L.D. was impressive?

A certain Colonel Ross, a man who was not even a general, could make the person in charge of the Manhattan District come coordinate matters. He even dared to try to intimidate Fury in Fury's own office, demanding an explanation.

As for the other departments, they did not take S.H.I.E.L.D. seriously at all.

Their impression of S.H.I.E.L.D. was still stuck in the Second World War era, when it had been the Strategic XXXXXXXX founded by some playboy's father, a shield-wielding man, and a formidable woman.

So when Jack stood up to Colonel Ross today and even slapped him directly, it made everyone throughout the agency hold their heads high.

Was a colonel supposed to be such hot shit?

Even a Level Six agent dared slap him in the face!

"I think I understand why Fury was smiling..."

"He wasn't angry at all about the cooperation falling apart. He was happy that one of his subordinates had finally become a real thorn in the side, and I... just happened to be that thorn..."

"Right! He sent me to Antarctica because they're about to dig up Captain America!"

"Damn~ After three years, it's finally time for The Avengers!"

Knowing that going to Antarctica meant digging up Captain America, Jack was instantly delighted. He had finally endured long enough to reach a major event!

Purple Sweet Potato was finally coming!!!

As long as he seized the Infinity Gauntlet, he would become the real Homelander!

When he smiled, the others smiled as well. One by one, they lined up to shake his hand and encourage him.

But when Jack secretly glanced at the system notification, his expression turned utterly awful...

"Strengthened internal team cohesion within S.H.I.E.L.D.: Evil Points reduced by one hundred thousand."

Fuck!!!!!!