"I was controlled by Dreykov, the leader of the Red Room. He had a nerve agent that could completely control other people's behavior. I was immediately controlled by him, but luckily I had injected myself with a preventative injection to avoid being controlled by chemical drugs, and I broke free from his control not long after. It was made by Stark Industries. I was the first volunteer clinical trial subject!"
As Qin Xiao spoke, he picked up a file folder and waved it around. Inside were analysis reports on the drug, as well as testimonies from several medical experts that Tony had consulted.
"Interestingly, Dreykov's nerve agent originated from a 1995 product from the Northern Laboratory in Ohio. I wonder if any of the senators here remember the fire at the Northern Laboratory that year? I have all the data from that laboratory, and even two witnesses. I wonder if the government can explain why a government-backed laboratory would be developing such an internationally banned drug!"
Tony took out a phone and gestured as he spoke.
"Should I project this material onto that TV so the reporters in the back can have a good look at it?"
"Cough cough!"
Another congressman coughed twice, interrupting Tony.
"This isn't a courtroom. We're not here to convict anyone, nor are we here to discuss the fire at some lab in 1995. We can address those issues later."
"The main purpose of today's hearing is to address the former Red Room Sky Base, now located less than 100 kilometers from New York. It is a militarized air fortress that poses a significant threat to our national security."
"And there are the thousands of highly trained agents within the organization, who received training from childhood in various espionage and assassination techniques. These resources should not be in the hands of individuals; they should be subject to government surveillance!"
" Qin Xiao, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff; the three of you are now the de facto controllers of that Sky Fortress and thousands of threatening spies. We expect you to hand over the espionage data and the Sky Fortress outside New York City to the United States. government to ensure the safety of our homeland and people."
"I'm sorry! We can't do that!"
Natasha suddenly spoke loudly to all the members of parliament in the assembly seats.
"What? What did you say?"
They probably didn't expect Natasha to refuse so directly and bluntly, and thought they had misheard, so they checked again.
"You heard me, Mr. Congressman. I said we can't do it. I know your plans—thousands of highly trained spies, obtained effortlessly. But I want to tell you, these girls grew up under control. Now, they've finally escaped the control of that damned drug and can finally live normal lives. I will not allow any organization, government, or individual to control and manipulate those poor girls to achieve their own ends. They... are free!"
Natasha, who also came from the Red Room, was too lazy to mince words with anyone about conditions in this matter; instead, she directly and bluntly brought up the topic.
As she spoke angrily, Tony readily revealed on television some information about how the Red Room selected and trained Widow.
These materials immediately caused a huge uproar at the scene, especially among the reporters, who rushed forward to take photos and videos.
"My God, this is the most blatant deprivation of human rights!"
"They actually removed those girls' uteruses! Damn it, this is murder!"
"Quiet down! Everyone, please be quiet! We can discuss the resettlement of these former spies in more detail later. Please don't forget that our topic today is how to maintain our homeland security."
The Senate Speaker slammed his hand on the table.
"National security is paramount. If the three of you do not cooperate with our recommendations, then today's hearing is adjourned. The Senate will introduce a special bill on this matter, and if it passes with a two-thirds majority, we will not rule out the possibility of using force."
A threat, a blatant threat.
"Using force? I want to ask, are you sure you want to use force?"
Qin Xiao stared intently at the Speaker of the Senate and asked.
" Mr. Qin, I know you have many extraordinary abilities, but you don't naively believe you can stand against the entire state apparatus by yourself, do you? We just want to solve a problem; you should think carefully before we vote!"
The speaker smiled, but his eyes told Qin Xiao, "This is a threat!"
"Hahaha! A bunch of hypocritical politicians who only know how to go around in circles!"
Qin Xiao laughed heartily as he spoke.
"You should have voted from the start, then threatened us with force and issued an ultimatum. Why bother with a hearing? There are quite a few councilors here today. I think we should just vote now. What do you say? I've even prepared the ballots for you!"
'Smack!'
Qin Xiao snapped his the Snap.
A strange scene unfolded: a small golden circle silently appeared around each of the councilors present.
From these circles, which were barely larger than small ashtrays, hands emerged one after another, and a standard quarter-sized piece of white paper fell from each hand, fluttering down to land beside each member of parliament.
Then the hands quickly retracted, and immediately extended again, this time each palm containing a bright yellow bullet.
The scene was completely silent; almost everyone held their breath.
The councilors all tensed up, not daring to move an inch.
The only sound was the clattering of bullets hitting the table.
Everyone was stunned, not even realizing when those hands had retracted.
When did the little golden circles disappear?
"Come on! Vote! Hurry up and write YES for everyone, I'm waiting to be conquered by your force!"
Qin Xiao stood up, looked around, and said loudly.
quite a while...
One of the councilors suddenly realized what was happening.
"God, what did I see, Mom! I need to go home and find my mom!"
Look at this councilor, his hair is already completely white. At his age, he's still going home to look for his mother. It seems he's really scared to the point of losing his mind.
Qin Xiao patted Tony and Natasha on the shoulder without a care in the world.
"Let's go! Today's hearing is over, let's go home!"
As they approached the main gate, Qin Xiao stopped again, turned around, and said...
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, every single one of you, including the councilors who didn't come today, has an identical copy in your bedroom. If you haven't decided yet, no problem, fill it out when you get home. I'll be waiting for you!"
"And this is what you call a threat!"
I was nervous receiving so many gifts for the first time. Thanks to the gift bombardment from the "Blade Maker" guy, but ten consecutive "urging me to update" messages were scary! Seriously! Please be gentle, bro! Thank you!