Countdown to death, Fury's despair

Lynn sat in a leather chair on the top floor of the Baxter Building, his knuckles lightly tapping the rim of Crystal goblet.

"Bite--"

The crisp sound of glass colliding traveled along the network and precisely struck the speakers in the underground Safe House in the Alps.

On the screen, Nick Fury's usually expressionless black face was now taut like cracked tree bark. His only remaining eye was bloodshot, and cold sweat on his forehead glistened under the fluorescent light.

"Good evening, Director." Lynn took a sip of red wine, tasting a slightly astringent berry flavor on his tongue. His posture was languid, as if he were chatting with an old friend. "The air conditioning in here is a bit cold, but judging from your expression, you seem even colder than me."

Safe House, the ventilation system's exhaust fans emitted a low hum.

Fury gripped the metal control panel tightly with both hands, the veins on the back of his hands bulging. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down with difficulty.

"Lynn," Fury's voice was hoarse, like coarse sandpaper scraping across a table, "You're insane. Stryker is a military man; you destroyed a national military base. You're declaring war on the entire world."

"Declare war?" Lynn chuckled. He shifted to a more comfortable position, crossing his legs and propping them up on the table. "Do you have some misunderstanding about power? Does a lion need to submit a declaration of war to crush an ant?"

Fury's breath hitched.

"The Blind Spot Program," Lynn spat out the word, his eyes full of mockery. "Is this your trump card that you're so proud of? Using Stryker as bait, releasing a few Mutants mad dogs, and hiding on the other side of the world to watch the show, hoping to force me to my limits?"

Lynn snapped his the Snap.

Natasha's fingers flew across the keyboard, the crisp tapping sound switching into the communication channel.

"Boss, the bottom firewall of the Alps Safe House has been breached." Natasha's voice carried a morbid excitement. "Life support system access acquired, air defense network taken over. Should I shut down their oxygen supply?"

On the screen, Agent Hill, standing behind Fury, suddenly drew her gun and aimed it at the control panel, but her hand was shaking so badly that she couldn't even disengage the safety. She knew very well that firing the gun would be pointless.

Fury's single eye contracted sharply. His most prized, top-level encrypted network was like a windowpane that could be easily torn apart by Lynn's intelligence system.

"No rush," Lynn waved his hand. "I like watching the prey struggle in its cage."

He stared at Fury on the screen, his gaze gradually cooling, like two cold knives.

"The Alps, 300 meters underground. Three layers of blast-resistant Titanium Alloy armor, independent nuclear power supply." Lynn accurately recited the Safe House's parameters. "You think you can hide in this turtle shell and I won't find you?"

Fury's uniform was completely soaked with cold sweat, clinging coldly to his skin. He gritted his teeth, trying to regain some control.

"What exactly do you want?" Fury lowered his voice. "You've taken S.H.I.E.L.D..'s resources, and you've hollowed out Hydra's foundation. You're surrounded by a bunch of ticking time bombs. Do you really think you can control them? Once those women get out of control, the entire Earth will be doomed!"

Lynn's eyes turned completely cold at the mention of those women.

This is his bargaining chip, but also the knife in his hand.

"They've gone out of control?" Lynn's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Even if they tear this universe to pieces, it's still my universe. It's none of your business, you rat hiding in the gutter."

Lynn leaned forward, getting close to the screen.

"Listen carefully, Fury. I didn't have Wanda raze your Alps to the ground outright, not because I'm afraid of you, but because you still have some use to me."

Fury froze, his one eye fixed on Lynn.

"Go tell those big shots hiding behind the scenes, tell the military, tell the World Security Council." Lynn's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable domineering authority. "From today onwards, I call the shots on the dark side of the Earth. The era of S.H.I.E.L.D.." is completely over.

"You can't do this!" Fury slammed his hand on the control panel, the metal surface creaking loudly. "Without S.H.I.E.L.D..'s checks and balances, this world will descend into utter chaos!"

"Checks and balances?" Lynn laughed out loud, his laughter full of sarcasm.

He casually swiped to bring up the footage of the Stryker Base explosion to the side of the screen. The Scarlet Mushroom Cloud that had destroyed everything was still rolling, and the blinding red light illuminated Fury's pale face.

"What will you use to keep me in check? Your toys that I can crush with a single squeeze? Or your ridiculous desire for control?" Lynn's smile vanished, his gaze turning icy. "The countdown has begun, Director. Get out of your Rat Hole. If I catch you daring to lay a hand on me again, I'll have Gwen Stacy gouge out your one eye herself and use it as a golf ball."

Lynn didn't give Fury any chance to refute and pressed the cut button directly.

"Snap."

The screen on the top floor of the Baxter Building went black instantly.

Lynn leaned back in his chair and downed the glass of red wine in one gulp. His throat burned, accompanied by a violent, pleasurable sensation.

"Boss, the signal source has been completely cut off," Natasha reported from the underground Supercomputer Center. "Should we send someone to the Alps to keep an eye on it?"

"No need." Lynn casually tossed his wine glass onto the table. "An old dog with its teeth pulled needs to run around and bite people to lure out bigger prey."

The Alps, Top Secret bunker.

The main screen turned into a deathly silent display of static. The crackling sound of electricity echoed in the empty basement.

Fury felt as if all the bones in his body had been drained, and he slumped heavily into the chair.

He was panting heavily, his lungs gurgling like bellows. Sweat dripped from his chin onto his chest, making him look as if he had just been pulled out of ice water.

"Sir..." Agent Hill's voice trembled, and the gun fell to the ground. "What... what should we do? The life support system's alarm light is on; he really can cut off our oxygen at any time."

Fury didn't answer. His single eye stared unfocused at the black screen.

We lost.

A complete and utter defeat.

His prized intelligence network, military reserves, and tactical plans were nothing but a joke compared to the man sitting in a leather sofa drinking red wine.

Lynn didn't even have to lift a finger; he simply unleashed his rabid dogs, which easily shattered all of his trump cards.

"Evacuate." Fury managed to squeeze out the two words, his voice terribly hoarse.

"What?" Hill was stunned.

"Activate the backup escape routes and evacuate immediately!" Fury jumped to his feet, slamming his hand on the control panel. "Destroy all data completely, physically destroy it! Now!"

Hill was terrified by Fury's manic behavior and quickly turned to operate the control panel.

Fury staggered to the deepest corner of the Safe House. He pushed aside a disguised mural, revealing an inconspicuous lead safe behind it.

This is his last possession. No internet connection, no electronic signals, purely physical storage.

Fury entered a long, complex password and verified his iris and fingerprints.

Click.

The heavy lead door sprang open.

There were no high-tech weapons inside, nor Captain Marvel's pager.

There was only one brown paper bag.

The edges of the paper bag were yellowed and covered with a thin layer of dust, clearly indicating that it hadn't been touched for many years.

Fury, his hands trembling, took out the paper bag.

He wiped away the dust with his rough thumb, revealing the black logo imprinted in the very center.

A capital letter "X" enclosed in a circle.

X-Men.

Fury stared intently at the sign, the fear in his single eye gradually giving way to a hysterical frenzy.

Lynn is too strong. So strong that conventional physical methods and technology can't even scratch the surface of him. Every woman surrounding Lynn is a monster capable of taking on an entire army single-handedly.

To defeat one monster, you have to find another one.

There is only one way to bypass the women's physical Defense Line and directly attack Lynn's main body.

Mind control.

"Charles..." Fury's fingers gripped the edge of the paper bag tightly, his knuckles turning bloodless from the force.

The paper bag made a faint tearing sound as it struggled to bear the weight.

Fury looked up at the heavy Titanium Alloy ceiling above him, his gaze extremely gloomy.

"You think you've got it all figured out?" Fury gritted his teeth, his voice laced with a desperate ruthlessness. "Abyss in this world that even your intelligence network can't reach."

He gripped the paper bag tightly and turned to walk towards the escape route.

"Hill, prepare the private jet," Fury coldly ordered.

"Where to, sir?"

"Westchester County, upstate New York State." A dangerous glint flashed in Fury's one eye. "Go meet those Mutants forgotten by the world."