The Deal

The moment the voice rang out, Nick Fury and Natasha reflexively drew their pistols in unison, gripping them with both hands and aiming toward its source.

Both their pupils contracted sharply, and cold sweat instantly broke out as they watched a young man slowly emerge from the shadows of the office.

When had he gotten there?

Nick Fury and Natasha had noticed nothing. If he had come to kill them, they would already have been dead.

What terrifying stealth skills he possessed, to escape the notice of both the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a senior S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mercer, Alex Mercer. I'd like to make a deal with you," Mercer said with a soft chuckle.

Sweat immediately seeped into his gun hand. Without changing his expression, Nick Fury moved one hand toward the desk. Just as he was about to press the hidden alarm button, something whistled through the air.

Looking closely, Nick Fury saw that a gleaming Short Blade had appeared beside his hand, blocking the space between his palm and the alarm button.

"I don't want to see anyone else. I suggest you don't make any sudden moves," Mercer said with a smile.

At some point, a wickedly sharp blade as long as his palm and two fingers wide had appeared in his hand.

When did he throw that? His hands are so fast!

Nick Fury was shaken. Had he reached any farther toward the button, that Short Blade would have pierced his palm.

He turned to Natasha beside him. She was just as stunned by the display; she had not seen when Mercer had made his move either.

"What do you want?"

Since Mercer did not seem to have shown any hostility yet, Nick Fury withdrew his hand and signaled for Natasha to lower her gun along with him.

Mercer still held a palm-sized blade. He could now create sharp blades at will, something that had not been possible in the game.

Now that the game had become reality, Mercer could feel the changes within him. With careful control of the blacklight virus in his body, he could pull off things like this.

He walked over to the sofa and sat down as though no one else were there, looking as comfortable as if he had visited before.

Only now did Nick Fury and Natasha get a clear look at Mercer's face, and both were surprised by his youth and appearance.

Although his features were Chinese, they were handsome enough to earn lavish praise even from Westerners.

His eyes in particular were blue-green, something very unusual in an Asian man.

"That Gray Hulk who was causing trouble in the Fourth District earlier-I want the right to deal with him, along with his location and the deployment of his guards."

While Nick Fury and Natasha were still marveling at Mercer's good looks, his words made both their expressions change.

He was not hiding his intentions at all. Asking outright for Abomination's location and guard deployments made what he wanted to do obvious.

Nick Fury frowned and said, "I believe you're no fool. You understand what you're saying, don't you?"

"Keeping him around will only cause you trouble. I don't think you're capable of dealing with him."

Seeing that Fury was still hesitating, Mercer shrugged and continued, "Of course, I'm not asking for him for free. I can give you a few pieces of information from the future."

Information from the future?

Nick Fury and Natasha exchanged a look, then turned back to Mercer. "What information from the future?"

At that, Mercer said nothing more. Instead, he crossed his legs and idly filed his nails with the blade in his hand.

Seeing this, Nick Fury immediately understood what he meant. After thinking for half a minute, he turned to Natasha and said, "Natasha, pull up Abomination's location and withdraw all the guards. There's no need for them."

"But..." Natasha still hesitated.

"Go," Nick Fury said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Only then did Natasha nod. She immediately went to the computer, pulled up the files, and told Mercer where Abomination was being held.

Mercer nodded after hearing her. Without questioning whether the information was genuine, he began to speak.

"Dr. Banner will be a major asset to the Avengers in the future. Don't spend all your time thinking about killing him just because he turns into the Green Giant."

"Stark is well worth recruiting. Agent Carter's abilities make her a good fit to lead the Avengers."

"I expect one of the Avengers' heavy hitters to appear in New Mexico within the next month. You can have Agent Coulson keep an eye on that area."

"Project Insight won't work. I suggest canceling it early."

Regardless of whether Mercer's words were true, the mere fact that he could reveal this information was enough to shock both Nick Fury and Natasha.

"The Avengers and Project Insight are top-secret plans! Fewer than ten people in the agency know about them, and they're all senior officials. How do you know?"

Nick Fury suddenly grew agitated as he spoke, involuntarily tightening his grip on the pistol he had never put down. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Project Insight was among S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most highly classified secrets. Even Natasha knew nothing about it. How could Mercer possibly know?!

Knowing about the Avengers alone would not have been too surprising, but knowing about Project Insight was downright baffling.

"I already told you it's information from the future. What else did you expect me to tell you? The winning numbers for the next lottery drawing?"

Mercer smiled faintly, entirely unbothered by their reaction. In fact, it was exactly what he had expected.

It would have been strange if they had not been surprised.

"So all of this will come to light in the future?"

After taking a moment to calm down, Nick Fury grasped the key point and hurriedly asked.

Mercer had not identified himself as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. If he knew about these things, there could only be one explanation: they would be exposed in the future, which was how he had learned about them.

"That's all I have to say. As for whether it's true, time will give you your answer. Goodbye."

Mercer did not answer Nick Fury's question. He simply walked out through the front door and headed toward Abomination's location.

"Fury, are we just letting him leave?" Natasha asked, her expression shifting uncertainly.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s security was nothing to scoff at, yet he had infiltrated it with ease and then brazenly walked out through the front door. That was far too arrogant...

Nick Fury hesitated for a moment before saying, "Leave him alone for now. The fact that he told us all this suggests he probably isn't an enemy. But look into his identity anyway. Alex Mercer. Investigate him."

As he spoke, he walked over to his desk, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.

"Coulson? I have an assignment for you. Head to New Mexico immediately, then..."

Seeing that Nick Fury had already begun giving Agent Coulson his orders, Natasha said nothing more and immediately started investigating Mercer's identity.

Neither of them noticed the thumb-sized blob of black "slime" in the corner of the office.

After the two finished speaking, it wriggled and hopped out of the office.