The atmosphere became extremely oppressive as soon as the door to the S.H.I.E.L.D.. top-floor conference room closed.
In front of the giant circular screen, Hill, holding a remote control pen, scanned the agents present, then looked at Natasha Captain America who had just arrived from Vought, and finally looked at Lin Xiao, who was sitting opposite her with his arms crossed, and slowly spoke.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Stuttgart incident has been confirmed. The target is Loki, Asgardians, and he possesses the highest threat level." Hill pressed a button on the remote control, and Loki's smug grin appeared on the screen. "I just received a call from the director. His instructions are that all departments of S.H.I.E.L.D.. must remain on high alert and simultaneously launch Operation Code B..."
Hill paused for a moment, his gaze shifting slightly as he looked at Lin Xiao.
"Regarding the arrest operation... The arrest operation is entirely handled by Vought Security Company. S.H.I.E.L.D.. is currently only providing intelligence sharing and tactical equipment assistance. Since Vought has already received an advance payment, this operation is an independently outsourced project. If it fails, according to the breach of contract clause, 25% of the commission, which is $80 million, will be deducted."
The conference room was so quiet that you could hear the hum of the air conditioner vents.
"Furthermore," Hill bit her lip, forcing herself to finish the last paragraph, "Given Captain America and Agent Natasha's current organizational affiliations, they are not permitted to participate in this direct arrest operation. Director Fury... will return to the station tomorrow after his sick leave to take charge."
"Snap."
The thermos in Lin Xiao's hand hit the solid wood table with a crisp sound.
He laughed, a truly wicked laugh. Black Baldy's "cutting off the fuel supply" tactic was brilliant, and undeniably flawless.
"Alright, alright, is this how you play it?" Lin Xiao stood up, brushed off imaginary dust from his suit, and grinned in a chilling smile. "Who said Vought is short-handed? I don't need the Avengers, I have plenty. I'll go prepare a surprise for the director right now, so he can keep an eye on Loki and 'invite' him back from Vought."
He turned and walked away, a cool breeze rising as he passed Hill.
Hill opened her mouth, intending to say "Be careful," but when she saw his arrogant and cocky profile, and the calculating look in his eyes that belonged to "Old Six," she was stunned for half a second. Natasha glanced at her best friend, smiled slightly, and shook her head.
A dozen minutes later, at the training grounds in the Vought Tower.
Bobby the Iceman was just about to conjure a perfect shield with frost when Lin Xiao grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey Bobby, I have a mission for you, it's a little bit difficult, wanna give it a try?"
Bobby was flattered. After all, those millions in cash were a hot potato, and he felt indebted to his boss. He immediately thumped his chest loudly. "Boss, you name it! What kind of mission? Even if it's a life-or-death situation, if I Bobby, even flinch..."
"Go capture Loki."
"... Huh? Who did you say?"
Lin Xiao then told Bobby about Loki's situation. When Bobby confirmed that the target was Loki from the mythology, his jaw almost dropped to the ground. He was now deathly pale and trembling like a leaf. Lin Xiao looked at Bobby and sighed softly, deciding to give Bobby another boost of confidence.
"Don't worry, this mission is very simple. You just need to bring him back. His conspiracy is huge. He's thinking of having someone bring him to New York. He won't resist in Germany. Let me tell you a few words. You can talk to him, and he won't make things difficult for you." Lin Xiao patted Bobby on the back with an unusually serious expression. Bobby swallowed a few times and nodded stiffly.
Just then, Walker, the black man, emerged from the shadows, looked at Lin Xiao, then at Bobby, and said, "Boss, how about I go with him? It'll be good to have someone to look out for you."
It turned out he had come with Lin Xiao. When Lin Xiao was about to talk to Bobby, he quietly stepped aside, but he had heard the entire conversation clearly.
Seeing Bobby's dejected expression, Walker felt a pang of pity. After spending time with the kid, he realized that although he was Mutants, he was actually a pretty good person. He often treated them, the ordinary people, to drinks without putting on airs, and Walker felt a surge of compassion.
Lin Xiao glanced at Walker, then at Bobby, sighed softly, nodded, and took out a needle-like pin from his pocket, which he then fastened to Walker's chest.
Walker looked completely bewildered.
"Boss, what's this thing?"
"A pinhole camera, with 4K high definition and real-time transmission." Lin Xiao patted Walker's broad shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and whispered for half a minute.
Walker's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and finally he snapped to attention, giving a rather awkward salute. "Mission accomplished!"
A concert hall in Stuttgart, completely cordoned off.
Loki, leaning on his Mind Stone Scepter, stood listlessly in the center of the stage, kicking the charred corpse on the floor with the tip of his shoe. Six hours had passed since the site was cleared; the S.H.I.E.L.D.. guys should be here by now, and his plan should be launched. Sure enough, the door was pushed open the next second, and he immediately adopted an elegant, composed, and compassionate posture, turning his head to look at the doorway, his brows slowly furrowing.
It wasn't the blonde bombshell with a shield who came in, nor the flying tin can, nor the legendary Lin Xiao.
Entering were a young white man wearing a black bodysuit, his legs trembling, and a burly man over two meters tall, with a gleaming black complexion, wearing a cheap black suit.
Loki's brows furrowed deeply, his brain frantically searching S.H.I.E.L.D..'s database, but he couldn't find a match.
"The vanguard?" Loki tentatively raised his chin slightly, his tone laced with condescending disdain. "Go tell Iron Man, Steve, and that Lin Xiao guy, I'm waiting for them here."
Walker weakly raised his hand, a simple, shy smile on his dark face, "Hey, Mr. Loki, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. It's just the two of us here to arrest you. Uh, no, I mean, to invite you back to Vought for a cup of tea."
Loki's smile froze on his face.
"Are you kidding me? You two worthless cowards dare to try and catch me?" He laughed angrily, pointing at the two men with his fingers, his voice even cracking slightly, "I am a god."
Iceman Bobby, neck stiff, took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to turn and run away, and spoke through clenched teeth, "It's what you think, sir. I am Omega-level Mutant, codename Iceman."
The big guy Walker wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. " S.H.I.E.L.D. 4 Agent, Walker."
Loki stared at the two "stinking fish and shrimp," and a blinding green light suddenly condensed in the scepter in his hand. He had been humiliated, humiliated by two ignorant ants.
"Believe it or not, I'll kill you all?"
"In times of war, envoys are not to be killed!" Walker suddenly raised his voice, his legs trembling but his voice booming. "If you kill us, it's as if you've lost all your composure and elegance, a disgrace to your status. Besides, you don't benefit from the deaths of two insignificant figures. The Vought Group will hunt you down to the bitter end."
Loki narrowed his eyes and tilted his scepter forward.
Walker swallowed hard, his words coming out in rapid succession. "You should have seen our company's files. Iron Man, Hulk, War Machine, and our boss Lin Xiao. Even your brother Thor is a contracted member of Vought. We are the number one... uh, rogue organization, no, superhero organization on Earth. If you make your move now, Germany will be the main battlefield, and you'll have a hard time getting to New York then."
"What do you know?" A cold glint flashed in Loki's eyes, and he suddenly raised his scepter.
The green energy instantly gripped Walker's neck, lifting him into the air. Bobby, though frightened, saw Walker attacked, and his fear was replaced by rage. He raised his arms, forming two half-meter-high ice walls that shot straight at Loki. Loki frowned and took several steps back, dodging the impact of the ice walls. With a swing of his scepter, the Iceman was sent flying, smashing a row of seats. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and mumbled:
"Boss, you tricked me..."
Loki lowered his head, looking at the frost that had formed on his fingers. He frowned slightly and shattered the frost with a slight tremor. Walker saw Bobby lying on the ground, his condition unknown, and suddenly remembered Lin Xiao's instructions.
Walker struggled to pry the green light off his neck while suspended in mid-air, pointing to the pin on his chest. "Boss, he said he has something to tell you... He knows everything about you. He said it's okay to play around, but don't go too far. Besides, we all brought live-streaming cameras this time, 4K high definition. You don't want to broadcast the scene of you slaughtering some nobody, do you?"
Loki paused for a moment. He stared at the pinhole camera on Walker's chest, then suddenly let go. Walker collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
"Did Lin Xiao give this to you?" Loki looked at Walker, who was panting heavily, and the gloom on his face vanished, replaced by an almost manic joy.
"Interesting, you big guy. You've got a good tongue, kid."
Loki elegantly adjusted his suit collar, then extended his hands, his green eyes full of mockery. "I'm getting more and more curious about that Lin Xiao. Come on, I'll go with you. It's the same who I go with anyway. My plan... just how much does he know? This is getting more and more interesting."
A corner cafe 300 meters from the theater.
Lin Xiao sat by the window, his cappuccino untouched. He stared at the live stream on his tablet screen, toying with the Blink Dagger in his hand.
The blue light from the dagger was flashing wildly. In the split second that Loki grabbed Walker's neck, he almost teleported there.
"So, you called me from Dragon Country and asked me to bring you here, just to watch your employees put on a stand-up comedy show?" Flash stood behind him, arms crossed, his tone icy cold.
"Not entirely." Lin Xiao sheathed his dagger, his tense shoulders completely relaxing the moment he saw Loki voluntarily put on the handcuffs. He tilted his head back, his smug smile returning, "How long has it been since we last met? I just missed you, wanted to have a sweet Germany date with you. How about a drink?"
Flash rolled her eyes dramatically.
She finally understood. This bastard spoke so carefree, and even his subordinates seemed like a bunch of amateurs, but just a moment ago, his knuckles turned white as he gripped the dagger, and even the hilt of the knife was humming.
He could have stayed 500 meters away in a safe zone and watched the show, but instead he chose to sit in a café 300 meters from Loki, ready to expose himself and rush in to save him at any moment.
As she watched his retreating figure, she initially wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but her gaze softened unconsciously.
"What a jerk," she muttered to herself, "But... he's a good jerk too."