It's still a two-in-one chapter, 4500 words.
I think 4000 words a day should be divided into two chapters.
I was very unhappy with what I wrote, and I'm sure you weren't happy reading it either.
So I'm presenting it all at once, I hope you enjoy it.
I had so many checks to do today, I only just had time to upload this. Please forgive me.
It would be even better if you could urge me to update more. Thank you so much!
The devastating explosion lingered for a long time.
The entire underground data center collapsed completely. The thick reinforced concrete rock layer collapsed with a roar, and debris, metal fragments, and broken electronic components flew everywhere. A violent shock wave rushed in through the narrow drainage channels.
At the entrance to the passage, Steve braced his arms against the Vibranium Shield, lowering his stance and maximizing the physique of a super soldier.
The Vibranium Shield, gleaming with a cold light, firmly locked the cave entrance, withstanding the vast majority of the devastating explosive impact. The power of the high-temperature blast wave, the impact of the rubble, and the compression of the rock layers were all absorbed and dissipated by the shield, protecting the three people behind it from the most fatal blow.
Even so, the remaining shockwave still seeped into the narrow passage through the gaps.
The air pressure in the confined space suddenly surged, and a piercing roar pierced their eardrums. All four of them were simultaneously shaken, their bodies numb and their heads spinning. The intense shock slammed into their bodies, and their vision went black for a moment. A dizzying sense of weightlessness swept over them, leaving everyone dazed and confused, their minds blank.
The narrow drainage channel fell into dead silence instantly, with only the faint sound of dust falling and the heavy, disordered breathing of the crowd.
After a long, deathly silence, the first to regain consciousness in the darkness was still Steve Rogers, whose physique far surpassed that of ordinary people.
The super soldier's powerful self-healing ability and physical resistance allowed him to recover from the dizziness of the violent shock the fastest. He slowly relaxed his tense posture, his arms were slightly sore, and his body was covered in dust, but he had no real injuries.
He wiped the dust off his face, leaned against the damp, cold rock wall of the passage, and slowly got up. He immediately bent down to check on the condition of the three people beside him.
Natasha leaned against the inner wall of the passage, her brows furrowed, her face pale, and her fingertips trembling slightly, clearly still not recovered from the violent tremors; Hill supported herself with one hand on the ground, closed her eyes to calm down, her ears still ringing; Coulson leaned against the corner, his breathing slightly disordered, his consciousness still hazy.
Fortunately, the Vibranium Shield provided cover, and the secret passage cushioned their fall, so all three only suffered from the shockwave and had no external injuries; their lives were not in danger.
Steve breathed a sigh of relief, leaned down and gently shook Coulson's shoulder, whispering, " Coulson, wake up."
After several gentle calls, Coulson slowly opened his eyes first, his gaze briefly unfocused before finally regaining focus and becoming fully awake. He raised his hand to press his throbbing temples, forcefully suppressing the lingering dizziness in his head, his professional instincts instantly returning.
As a seasoned agent who has worked at S.H.I.E.L.D.. for many years, he is more aware than anyone of the perilous nature of the current situation.
With the underground base exploding, Zola's data entity destroyed, and secrets completely exposed, given S.H.I.E.L.D..'s current state of being infiltrated by Hydra, they will definitely not let the four insiders off the hook.
"No time to rest." Coulson quickly stood up, his tone urgent and grave. "The explosion at the base was extremely loud. S.H.I.E.L.D..'s search teams will soon cordon off the entire area, tracing the route and conducting a thorough search. We must evacuate immediately."
Steve nodded, then woke up Natasha and Hill in turn.
The two regained their senses, suppressed their physical discomfort, quickly composed themselves, and overcame all fatigue. The four of them worked together seamlessly, bending low and quickly making their way away through the narrow drainage channel.
After navigating through winding, damp underground passages and avoiding collapsed ruins, the four finally returned to the surface wasteland.
Behind them, the once dilapidated old military camp had been completely reduced to a charred ruin. Rock layers had collapsed, dust was flying everywhere, and the underground data center that had been hidden for decades had been completely wiped from the world. The evening wind carried a strong smell of gunpowder, and the desolate wilderness seemed even more bleak and lifeless.
The four dared not linger. They kept their heads low and, using the cover of the wilderness and trees, quickly retreated until they were completely away from the epicenter of the explosion. Only after confirming that they were temporarily out of danger did they stop to rest briefly.
The night remained deep, and the entire New Jersey countryside was deserted, save for the heavy breathing of the four men.
Hill wiped the dust from his face, his expression grave, and cut straight to the heart of the matter. "According to S.H.I.E.L.D..'s standard investigative procedures, an explosion would trigger the highest level of emergency response. They would immediately access all nearby surveillance footage, traffic records, and communication logs to completely trace our movement."
"Our previous safe house in the suburbs has been completely exposed and is no longer usable."
She turned to Coulson, her tone urgent. "Do you have a backup plan? A second safe haven, a secret hideout, anywhere we can settle down?"
Coulson smiled wryly, shaking his head slightly, his eyes filled with helplessness. "Do you think it's easy to secretly build a top-secret safe house without the knowledge of the entire S.H.I.E.L.D..? That's the only completely private location; there's no other alternative."
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
Overnight, they went from being core members of S.H.I.E.L.D.. and enforcers of order to being fugitives hunted across the entire internet, homeless and with nowhere to hide, with the entire system standing against them.
Just as the atmosphere reached its peak of tension, Steve suddenly spoke, breaking the silence with a hint of hesitation in his voice. "I do have a place to go."
He paused slightly, a hint of uncertainty flashing in his eyes. "I'm just not sure if that place is a good place to go in the current situation."
Natasha looked up at his words, her brows furrowed with weariness and helplessness, her tone tinged with exasperation. "At a time like this, what's the point of arguing about good or bad? The four of us, top-tier agents and ace fighters, are all now silenced, being chased and fleeing in all directions by our own people."
She sighed with a hint of self-deprecation, " Hawkeye is still out there happily carrying out routine missions, living a carefree life. Next time, he should really be given the chance to try escaping a bombing."
In the midst of Extremis, a lighthearted remark slightly eased the tense atmosphere.
Without further hesitation, the group trusted Steve's judgment and followed him, changing civilian vehicles along the way, avoiding surveillance on main roads and checkpoints, traversing half of the city, and finally stopping in front of a quiet and tidy detached house in a residential area.
The courtyard was clean and tidy, with neatly trimmed greenery in front of the door. It lacked the menacing feel of a secret service outpost, exuding instead the warmth of ordinary life. In the current turbulent situation, it seemed exceptionally safe and secluded.
Steve stepped forward and gently knocked on the gate.
A moment later, the door opened, and a lean and tall figure appeared behind it.
He was an African American man with a very short black buzz cut and a clean-cut, light stubble on his face. His features were sharp and defined, giving him a capable and weathered air. He had a well-proportioned and agile physique, the result of years of training. His muscles were smooth and firm, not exaggerated but extremely powerful. He stood with a steady posture and clear eyes, exuding a reliable and composed aura.
Upon seeing Steve at the door, a flicker of surprise crossed the man's eyes, followed by a familiar smile as he greeted him softly, " Rogers? What brings you here?"
Looking at his old friend, Steve's tense nerves relaxed slightly. He stepped aside to let the three people behind him pass and introduced them, " Sam, excuse me. These are my friends: Natasha Romanoff, Maria Hill, and Phil Coulson."
After the introductions, his expression turned serious again, and he spoke sincerely with a hint of apology, "I'm very sorry for coming here so abruptly, but we're in big trouble right now and urgently need a place to lay low temporarily."
Coulson, standing behind them, added a timely remark, perfectly capturing their current Extremis, his tone filled with helplessness. "To be precise, everyone we know and the entire system we belong to wants to kill the four of us."
Upon hearing this, Sam's smile vanished instantly, a sharp wariness flashing in his eyes. Without asking any further questions, and almost without hesitation, he stepped aside to make way for the door.
"Come in."
The four men quickly entered the house one by one. Sam went to the gate first, his eyes scanning the distant streets, intersections, and surveillance cameras warily. After carefully confirming that there were no spies or anyone watching or following them, he quickly closed and locked the gate, completely isolating himself from the outside world.
The room was clean and tidy, with simple and cozy furnishings. There were no sophisticated equipment or weapons; it was as ordinary as it could be, perfectly avoiding all the key areas of investigation.
The four of them quickly washed up, brushed off the dust, cleaned away the traces of gunpowder, and, looking disheveled, sat silently on the living room sofa.
A series of dramatic events unfolded overnight: the underground base was destroyed, it was discovered that Hydra had been infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D.. for decades, and everyone realized that their years of hard work had been a joke. Everyone felt a heavy weight of weariness and confusion.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; a stifling atmosphere slowly spread.
After a long silence, Natasha spoke first, her clear voice carrying an undisguised hoarseness and low spirits, breaking the silence.
"Back then, I escaped the Red Room, risking my life to break free from a controlled fate, and chose to join S.H.I.E.L.D.."
Her eyes were lowered, her gaze fixed on her clean, slender fingertips, her eyes filled with confusion and bitterness, her voice slowly choked with emotion. "Back then, I thought I had finally broken free from the darkness and embarked on the right path. I could finally stop being a tool and do something truly right, something to protect others."
"But I never imagined that, after all this twists and turns, I would have simply jumped from the cage of the Red Room into Hydra's game."
"Over the years, I've carried out countless missions and done a lot of dirty work that can't be brought to the table. I've always told myself that even if the methods were underhanded, my initial intention was to safeguard order and peace, so I'm on the right path."
"But now... I can't tell at all."
Her voice trembled slightly, carrying years of pent-up confusion and self-doubt. "All these years, everything I've done with my life on the line, which ones were right, and which ones... were wrong from the very beginning?"
At the end, she was completely speechless, her throat tightened, and she could no longer utter a single word. She sat down in silence, her eyes churning with complex emotions that were difficult to quell.
After years of faith crumbling, her future was utterly uncertain, and no one could answer the questions troubling her heart.
A somber atmosphere filled the living room. Just as everyone's spirits were low, Steve suddenly chuckled softly, a hint of relaxed banter in his voice, and said gently, "Perhaps, you've simply chosen the wrong profession."
In this Extremis, Steve's sudden optimism left Hill speechless. She turned to him, her tone a mix of amusement and exasperation. "We were almost blown to bits and became traitors hunted down by the entire world. How can you be so optimistic?"
Steve leaned back gently on the sofa, his expression relaxed, his eyes calm and resolute. His tone was steady. "Before this, we were like headless flies, pushed along by the situation, swept up by the crisis, never knowing who the enemy lurking in the shadows was or what the conspiracy was."
"But things are different now. We've seen the truth about S. H. I. E. L. D., figured out Hydra's Serpent S.H.I.E.L.D. cards, know who's behind it all, and have a clear objective. Isn't that something to be happy about?"
His words were insightful, instantly revealing the turning point in the situation.
Upon hearing this, Coulson slowly raised his head, his tone low and helpless, and softly uttered three words that instantly shattered the relaxed atmosphere. " Serpent S.H.I.E.L.D.."
Steve fell silent instantly, the smile in his eyes vanishing completely. Okay, he admitted it; they had always known who was behind it all.
But what lies before them is still Extremis capable of swallowing everything.
Just as the atmosphere in the living room became tense again, Sam pointed to the dining room, breaking the silence.
Seeing the four men's somber and gloomy expressions, he softened his tone and took the initiative to defuse the situation. "Judging from your faces, I can tell you haven't eaten all night and are exhausted. Why don't you eat something decent?"
The four of them did not refuse, got up and moved to the restaurant, sat down in silence, picked up their utensils and ate quietly.
The warm food soothed the anxiety and fatigue in my heart, and the brief warmth of the meal allowed my tense nerves to breathe.
As she chewed, Natasha suddenly looked up, her gaze sharp, and posed the most crucial question, "Within the United States, in its own airspace, ignoring air defense systems and monitoring networks, who in S.H.I.E.L.D.. has such authority and capability to directly deploy missiles to precisely eliminate a base?"
Upon hearing this question, at the dinner table, Steve, Hill, and Coulson almost without hesitation uttered the same name in unison, their tone extremely solemn:
Pierce.
All leads have been completely closed.
Alexander Pierce, the current director and supreme leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.., is the core leader of Hydra infiltrating the highest levels of S.H.I.E.L.D.., and the true mastermind behind the scenes who Project Insight, controlled the overall situation, and ordered their elimination. He is also a member of Hydra.
After a brief silence and analysis, Steve put down his cutlery, his eyes resolute, facing the most unsolvable deadlock before him, and said in a deep voice, "Now we face only one ultimate problem."
"The four of us are now Washington's most wanted and most dangerous criminals."
"How do we infiltrate Washington, D. C., the most heavily guarded and heavily protected city in the open, and kidnap Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Pierce, who holds the highest authority and is heavily protected by the military?"
The other three were speechless for a moment, and no one responded. With a nationwide manhunt, their identities exposed, and no one to help, trying to infiltrate the central government and kidnap the bureau chief was tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.
Just when everyone was at a deadlock, Sam suddenly reached out and gently pushed a neatly bound resume to the center of the table, placing it in front of the four of them.
His tone was calm, yet brimming with confidence, as he slowly spoke, "The answer is simple: we don't need to kidnap anyone."
All four of them lowered their heads simultaneously, their eyes landing on the resumes.
After reading Sam's complete background, a glimmer of light instantly lit up Natasha, Hill, and Coulson's eyes. Their tense expressions finally relaxed, and obvious joy and hope appeared on their faces.
In their Extremis, they unexpectedly received help.
Steve, however, did not relax. Instead, he frowned slightly, his eyes filled with concern and reluctance. He looked up at Sam and said solemnly, " Sam, I cannot ask you for help."
"There was a reason you retired. I can't drag you back into this mess and get you involved in this turmoil."
Despite Steve's dissuasion and concerns, Sam did not hesitate for a moment. His eyes were open and firm as he calmly replied, word by word, " Captain America needs my help, and that is the best reason."
In short, it was concise, straightforward, and passionate, without the slightest hesitation or ulterior motive.
Steve looked intently at his friend, all his worries disappearing.
He stopped making excuses, patted the folder in his hand, and asked in a deep voice, "Where can I get the equipment you need?"
Sam simply named several hidden storage locations.
Hill, Natasha, Coulson quickly checked the location and nodded in confirmation. "The location is feasible, and the risk is manageable."
The deadlock was broken, and the road ahead finally had a clear direction.
Without further ado, everyone quickly finished their breakfast, got up, tidied themselves up, packed their gear, shed their fatigue, and regained their edge.
The four people, who were originally in dire Extremis and surrounded by enemies, saw a glimmer of hope for a turnaround at their most desperate moment.