A month later, the area surrounding S.H.I.E.L.D..'s secret research and development center was completely surrounded by agents, and even the commercial streets closest to the research and development center were cordoned off. The police were helping to maintain basic order. It was all thanks to him that the Helicarrier, which carried Fury's ambitions, had finally reached the experimental test flight stage after six months of research and development.
Lin Xiao squatted on the rooftop of a building opposite the R&D center, holding a steaming hot roasted sweet potato he had bought from Chinatown. He murmured softly, "It's the middle of the night, and the wind is blowing like knives. It's so comforting to eat this stuff; it won't give me heartburn." As he spoke, he took a big bite. The sweet potato was soft, sweet, and fragrant, and it was so hot that he gasped for breath.
He followed the searchlight beam to the open space of the research and development center, which looked like an Oscars ceremony. A red carpet stretched from the entrance of the command building all the way to the end of the runway, with agents in black suits and wearing communication headsets standing on both sides. Not far away, several rows of temporary stands were filled with military representatives and researchers, holding champagne glasses.
"Boom--"
A deep, muffled thud came from underground. The ground trembled three times, the lawn parted automatically to both sides, and the giant elevators under development slowly rose, lifting a colossal object up from the ground with a violent surge of air.
The Helicarrier, with its four massive rotor bases illuminated by eerie blue indicator lights in the night, and the roar of its anti-gravity engines sent shivers down one's spine.
"Wow, this iron turtle really did fly." Lin Xiao tossed the sweet potato peel in his hand into the cordon below, dusted off his hands, and glanced at the center of the crowd.
Fury wasn't wearing his usual black leather jacket today; instead, he was in a crisp army uniform. He strode confidently down the red carpet, shaking hands with each of the row of excited, flushed researchers. When he reached Tony and Reed, the Black Baldy stopped, patted them both heavily on the shoulders, and grinned like an old chrysanthemum. Then he started spouting some platitudes that Lin Xiao couldn't be bothered to listen to.
He was all too familiar with this kind of scene. In his past life, when he was a slave in an office building, this was the same procedure when high-ranking officials came to inspect. A red carpet was laid out, flashbulbs went off, and the people below clapped until their palms were red. He remembered once when a high-ranking official was giving a speech on stage, his suit pants were unzipped, revealing half of his red underwear, and not a single one of the more than one hundred people below dared to laugh. They all clapped wildly with stiff faces. He was the only one who couldn't help but burst out laughing like a pig, and then the next day he was called in by HR and fired.
"The formalism in Europe and America is no worse than in my previous life." Lin Xiao took out half a bag of sunflower seeds from his pocket and cracked them open with a loud cracking sound.
He withdrew his gaze, jumped down the stairs, and strolled around the outer security perimeter. To be honest, S.H.I.E.L.D.. had really pulled out all the stops today; even a trainee agent like Kara had been brought in to fill the seats. Looking at those excited faces and the enthusiastic pronouncements of what a "secret agent guide" was, he sighed helplessly. "Youth is good, so easy to fool," Lin Xiao thought, letting out a breath and continuing forward. But after his stroll, he realized that a key figure was missing from the Fantastic Four's formation today.
Susan was absent for some reason. Ben and Jonathan were standing in the audience, while Reed was on stage. The Invisible Woman was the only one missing.
"Where did that woman go? I wonder if that old bastard Doom is up to something behind my back..." Lin Xiao muttered to himself, then decided to just ignore it. There are tall people to hold up the sky if it falls, and besides, with so many tall people around today, he just wanted to be a spectator.
He found a secluded corner, put his hands in his pockets, and opened the system panel. He quickly reviewed the recent accounts in his mind.
The "super version" mothership in Dragon Country has also entered the research and development stage. This is all thanks to how he tricked that silly kid Tao Yuhan last time. He was initially wary and annoyed, but when he mentioned that the main body of the mothership was under accelerated construction, Tao Yuhan's voice was so excited in the communication that it split. Then he said that Heartfire's surgery was very successful, the steel bars were removed, and he had entered the recovery period. If there were no accidents, he would be able to get out of bed next month.
"Everything's going well, except that girl Shan Shan is so mean. She didn't even contact me to let me know she was okay after the surgery. Sigh, she's so heartless when she pulls her boyfriend out of the picture," Lin Xiao muttered sourly to himself.
However, the most pressing issue right now is not to provoke Shan Shan, but to address the current situation.
The launch of the Helicarrier means that the fuse for " The Avengers " is already Mars. Loki is probably about to come out with the Mind Stone Scepter and try to seduce Hawkeye, and the main force of the Chitauri Army has already gathered and is waiting in some corner of the universe.
This is a tremendous crisis, but for Lin Xiao, it is an immense fortune.
"A mere Chitauri soldier, the system said his strength is comparable to C+ combat power, so he should be worth at least a three-star reward, right? Hundreds or thousands of Chitauri, that's a bunch of walking points. And Loki? He's a god, at least a seven-star? Or an eight-star? Capturing Loki would be like taking off immediately!" Lin Xiao's mind raced with delight, his smile practically stretching to his ears.
As for how to fight, he already had a set of "energy-saving and environmentally friendly" tactics in his mind. When the defense line couldn't hold, he would just pull out his big nephew Hulk and throw him into the wormhole. Hulk would smash him, Loki would be stunned, and he would follow behind him frantically picking up kills and exploiting the bug in the system's settlement.
"If this harvest is successful, I'll become rich overnight, maybe even S or SS rank." Lin Xiao rubbed his hands together. "After dealing with these alien refugees, I'll go to the Asgard and have some fun."
Recalling Natasha's bright eyes when she watched a baby on TV, Lin Xiao's gaze turned serious for a moment, a rare occurrence.
Just as they were making their plans, a burst of extremely enthusiastic applause suddenly erupted below. Fireworks simultaneously rose into the sky from both sides of the base, exploding into dazzling golden and red peonies in the night sky. The mothership's four rotors fully deployed, hovering steadily in the night sky.
Lin Xiao stood up, dusted himself off, and looked at the New York City skyline in the distance.
The wind grew stronger and stronger, carrying an indescribable, suffocating smell. In the depths of the distant clouds, a very thin, faint blue light seemed to tear everything apart.
"We've got a job." Lin Xiao stuffed the sunflower seed shells into his pocket, his red battle suit gleaming faintly in the night.